Israel Ambassador Abba Eban today commended Secretary of State Dulles for his “helpful role” during the current discussions and announced that the Israel delegation will make known at the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow the details of Israel’s plan for withdrawal from the Gaza and Akaba areas.
Mr. Dulles met with Ambassador Eban for over two hours today. Interviewed by newsmen about the meeting, the Israel Ambassador refused to reveal the substance of tomorrow’s announcement but said he thought it would cause “widespread sanction” to all concerned with peace in the Middle East.
Mr. Eban, stating that Secretary Dulles was already aware of the details, described a purpose of his meeting today as the formal notification of the Secretary of Israel’s intentions as a matter of courtesy. Today, said Mr. Eban, he continued the “very constructive” talks which began February 11 and which have produced “helpful results.” He described the February 11 meeting with Secretary Dulles as a “very important stage” in the U. S. -Israel negotiations.
Mr. Eban declined to define any specific aspect of the new Israel plan. He said it would be made known fully tomorrow. Participating in today’s talk were Francis O, Wilcox, Assistant Secretary of State for UN Affairs, Learnan Pilleger, the State Department’s top legal adviser, and Gideon Rafael of the Israel UN delegation.
A joint communique issued by the White House today on the talks of President Eisenhower with French: Premier Guy Moller said: “With reference to the Middle East, they stated a common conviction that solution to the problems of the area can be achieved by peaceful means, in conformity with the principles of justice and international law.”
The communique added: “With regard to the question of the future status of the Suez Canal, they recalled that the 1888 treaty contemplated a definitive system to guarantee, at all times and to all powers, the free use of the canal. In this connection they reaffirmed their adherence to the six requirements unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council and accepted by Egypt last October, which called, among other things, for free and open transit through the canal without discrimination, and the insulation of the operation of the canal from politics of any country.
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