Secretary of State John Foster Dulles said at his press conference today that the Soviet Union’s announced willingness to help reduce Arab-Israel tension will be tested when a resolution is introduced at the United Nations Security Council in connection with UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold’s “peace mission” to Israel and the Arab countries.
Mr. Dulles declined to say what the resolution might contain, but pointed out that the Soviet stand on this resolution might afford an opportunity to see what the Soviet Union has in mind.
An Egyptian newspaperman’s trip to Israel and an Egyptian radio commentator’s reported intimation that peace with Israel was possible were described by Secretary Dulles as “encouraging.” He said the United States was “happy” over these developments but was really not yet in a good position to evaluate them. If any kind of rapprochement is emerging it is in line with U.S. policy objectives, he added.
Mr. Dulles said the momentum established by the Hammarskjold mission should be maintained but that he did not know if Mr. Hammarskjold should return to the Middle East at the present time. He asserted that the State Department has no information on a report that Egypt might buy arms from Red China.
The Secretary of State was asked about the status of U.S. support of the Egyptian high Aswan Dam project. His reply indicated the matter might still be pending. However, he made it clear that if Egypt secured Soviet cooperation on the dam it was unlikely the United States would participate.
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