A two-day conference of ranking British diplomats stationed in eight Middle East countries was opened here today by Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd who summoned the envoys to London in connection with current developments in the Middle East.
Also attending the secret conference are Lord Reading and Anthony Nutting, Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs and foreign policy spokesmen for the government in the House of Lords and Commons, respectively. Among those reporting at the conference are the British Ambassadors to Israel, Egypt, Iraq., Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
It is understood that high in priority among the subjects which will be discussed is the Middle East arms supply situation and the prospects of an Israel-Arab settlement. Official circles insist that this is a “no agenda” conference. They deny press reports that J.W. Nicho is, Ambassador to Israel, will report on the prospects of bringing Israel to secret mediation talks. It is understood that the British failure to force Jordan into the Bagdad pact and the situation in Egypt will also be debated.
Official circles indicate that none of the ambassadors will offer proposals at the conference for dealing with the Middle East situation. These will be decisions made by the new Foreign Secretary after the reports by the envoys and after his meeting with his American opposite number, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, within the framework of the Eisenhower-Eden meetings in Washington beginning January 31.
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