Egyptian Foreign Minister Saleh Ed-Din Pasha told the U.S. News and World Report, in an interview released here today, that the Egyptian government is “not as concerned about the supposed threat to Egypt from Russia, which seems more distant to us than the existing occupation of our soil by Britain and the immediate threat by Israel.” He said this in an interview outlining Egypt’s reasons for demanding the removal of British troops from the Suez Canal zone.
“After all,” said the Egyptian Minister, “the Israelis talk quite freely of building an empire from the Euphrates to the Nile. How do you expect us to remain indifferent as long as you permit such people to ignore the decisions of the United Nations and to do what they please?”
Saleh Pasha said Egypt would not co-operate with the West in a regional defense pact unless the West changed its attitude toward Israel. Asked about the possibility of an understanding between Israel and the Arab states, he replied:
“Let us put it this way: somebody comes into your house and settles down in a room uninvited, unwanted. Some strong people say you must keep him in your house. But they cannot force you to be friends with the man who has moved into your house and driven you out of part of it. We do have an armistice with Israel. That is practical peace, but not peace with Israel in the sense of accepting their unwanted presence in our house.”
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