More vigorous action on the part of the British Government to halt the Egyptian blockade of the Suez Canal against Israel-bound traffic was demanded in Commons today by Conservative M. P. Eric Johnson.
Replying, A.D. Dodds-Parker, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said that the “government was taking all action that is open to them within diplomatic lines. We are working through the United Nations and we think that is the way to deal with this situation and not to deal with it unilaterally.”
Mr. Johnson precipitated the discussion by asking for information on the number of British ships that had been interfered with in the Suez Canal since passage of the Security Council resolution of 1951 calling on Egypt to end its anti-Israel blockade of the waterway.
Mr. Dodds-Parker said he had no reliable information on that matter although a few British ships had been delayed or prevented from passing through the Canal since the 1951 resolution. However, he noted that it was well known that certain types of cargoes had been held to be contraband by the Egyptian authorities and British ships were not taking them on for delivery to Israel.
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