Foreign Secretary George Brown declared in the House of Commons today that in Britain’s view “any settlement of the problem of the Middle East must include respect for the right of free and innocent passage through international waterways of ships of all nations.” He added that Britain’s view had been repeatedly made clear and was embodied in the U.N. Security Council’s Middle East resolution of Nov. 22, 1967.
Mr. Brown made his remarks in reply to a question from Labor MP Stanley Henig. Mr. Henig also wanted to know if Britain had advised the United Arab Republic that any pressure exerted on Israel for a quick agreement that would permit the re-opening of the Suez Canal was contingent on a concession by the UAR to allow Israeli shipping to use that waterway. Mr. Brown replied that the question of what concessions were to be made and by whom at any stage of a settlement of the Middle East problem was best left to the United Nations’ special representative to the Middle East in his negotiations with the parties concerned.
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