The Soviet Union has pledged support to Egypt, following the announcement by President Nasser that the Straits of Tiran were closed to Israeli shipping. A statement carried by Tass, official Soviet news agency, and reported here, said:
“He who would venture to unleash aggression in the Near East would encounter not only the united strength of the Arab countries, but also resolute resistance to all aggression on the part of the Soviet Union and all peace-loving states. Only a handful of colonial oil monopolies and their hangers-on can be interested in such a conflict. Only the forces of imperialism, in the wake of whose policy Israel follows, can be interested in this.”
The Kremlin pronouncement said the Soviet Government is carefully watching Middle East developments. “The maintenance of peace and security in that district, which directly adjoins the frontiers of the Soviet Union, accords with the vital interests of the peoples of the USSR,” said the statement. “Bearing in mind the obtaining situation, the Soviet Union does and will continue to do its utmost to prevent a violation of peace and security in the Near East, to protect the legitimate rights of the peoples.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
