Text of Statement on Middle East Command Issued by State Dept.

The State Department released here the full text of the statement on a Middle East Command issued jointly by the United States. Britain, France and Turkey. The statement says that the four powers are guided by the following principles:

1. The United Nations is the world response to the principle that peace is indivisible and the security of all states is jeopardized by breaches of peace anywhere; at the same time it is incumbent upon states of any area to be willing and able to undertake the initial defense of their area.

2. The defense of the Middle East is vital to the free world and its defense against outside aggression can be secured only by the co-operation of all interested states.

3. The Middle East Command is intended to be the center of co-operative efforts for the defense of the area as a whole; achievement of peace and security in the area through the Middle East Command will bring it social and economic advancement.

4. A function of the Middle East Command will be to assist and support the states willing to join in the defense of the Middle East and to develop the capacity of each to play its proper role in the defense of the area as a whole against outside aggression. It will not interfere in problems and disputes arising within the area. The establishment of the Middle East Command in no way affects existing arrangements relating to such matters, notably the armistice agreements and the United States-United Kingdom-French tripartite declaration of May, 1950.

5. The task of the Middle East Command at the outset will be primarily one of planning and providing the Middle East states on their request with assistance in the form of advice and training. Requests for arms and equipment made by states in the area willing to join in its defense to sponsoring states in a position to assist in this connection will be filled by them to the extent possible following the co-ordination of such requests through the Middle East Command.

6. The Supreme Army Commander, Middle East, will command forces placed at his disposal and will develop plans for the operations of all forces within the area (or to be introduced into the area) in time of war or international emergency. However, the placing of forces under the command of the Supreme Army Commander, Middle East, in peace-time is not a prerequisite for joining in the common effort for defense of the Middle East. Movement of these troops placed under the command of the Supreme Army Commander, Middle East, to or within the territories of states joining in the defense of the Middle East will be made only with the agreement of the state or states concerned and in full accord with their national independence and sovereignty.

7. While details have yet to be formulated, the sponsoring states intend that the Middle East Command should be an integrated Allied command not a national command. The responsibility of the Supreme Army Commander, Middle East, will be to ensure the effectiveness of the corporate defense enterprise represented by the command. All states joining in this enterprise will be individually associated with the command on the basis of equality through a Middle East defense liaison organization which will be located at Middle East Command Headquarters and will be the link between the command and the countries ready to join the defense of this area.

8. Any facilities to the Middle East Command by states joining in the defense of the Middle East will be the subject of specific agreements.

9. The broad mission of the Middle East Command and its co-operative character make it necessary that all states, whether territorially or not part of the area, act in the best interests of the co-operative defense of the area. The Middle East Command naturally will not further the national interest of any particular state.

10. A continuing objective of the Middle East Command is to reduce such deficiencies as exist at present in the organization and capacity for defense in a vitally important area so that the peace-time role of the states of the area in the Middle East defense will progressively increase, thus permitting the peace-time role of states not territorially part of the Middle East to be decreased proportionately.

11. Sponsoring states of the Middle East Command do not regard the initial form in which the Middle East Command will be organized as unchangeable: they believe the Middle East Command through mutual understanding should evolve in the manner which will enable it most effectively to provide for the defense of the Middle East area as a whole.