President Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden will start their discussions here tomorrow with the Arab-Israel conflict topping the agenda. The meetings, which are expected to last for about a week, will also be attended by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and British Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd and their top advisers.
Prime Minister Eden was reported here today as being primarily interested in seeking a joint Anglo-American sponsored compromise solution on the Arab-Israel dispute. He also wants American action against Saudi Arabia which is currently financing anti-Western activities in Arab countries with royalties received from American oil companies.
Well informed circles indicated today that one of the major plans which the British Prime Minister will present to President Eisenhower provides for an Arab-Israel solution by forcing Israel to make territorial concessions. However, it is learned here that the United States is not ready to support Eden on this point. The American attitude is that Israel should be asked to make border “rectifications” rather than wholesale territorial changes.
(In Israel, Dr. Walter Eytan, director general of the Foreign Ministry declared today that Israel will repel any pressure from the Western powers bloc for political or territorial compromise. He predicted that such pressure will soon be felt, and specifically mentioned the latest “unclear” British proposals as examples of the kind of pressure he expected. He stressed that Israel still sees direct negotiations with the Arabs as the only solution to the current tense situation in the area.)
The U.S. Government, while anxious for an early Arab-Israel settlement, is also reported to differ with the British on other suggested approaches to a solution of the Arab-Israel problem. However, it is predicted that as a result of the Eisenhower-Eden talks, a renewed British-American pledge guaranteeing the integrity of the Arab-Israel frontiers will be voiced, as well as a warning against aggression either by the Arab countries or by Israel.
Mr. Eden intends also to ask the United States to join the Baghdad Pact, to which Britain and a number of Moslem countries are signatories. However, it was indicated here today that although the U.S. is ready to give military and financial support to all countries joining the Baghdad agreement, it is not inclined to join because the Baghdad alliance excludes Israel from membership. The feeling in official circles here is that Israel would consider Washington’s joining the Baghdad Pact an unfriendly act. Egypt, too, would consider America’s membership in the Baghdad Pact group as an hostile act, since Egypt is opposed to the pact.
Arab diplomatic representatives in Washington declared today that any effort by Eisenhower and Eden to seek Arab-Israel settlement on a basis of the status-quo would not bring peace. They urged the American and the British Governments to “fully consult” the Arab countries before reaching a final decision at their Washington parley.
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