Prime Minister Harold Wilson disclosed in the House of Commons today that he has told Soviet Premier Alexai N. Kosygin that Britain is prepared to work for a general arms limitation agreement in the Middle East even in advance of a political settlement there. Mr. Wilson spoke in reply to Arthur Lewis, Labor MP, who asked what proposals were contained in Mr. Kosygin’s note of Feb. 2 and in his reply. The Prime Minister said the message from Mr. Kosygin “drew attention to the dangers of the present situation in the Middle East and the need for progress toward a peaceful solution.”
Mr. Wilson said that in his reply he stressed the need to re-establish an effective cease-fire and to “support the Security Council resolution of Nov. 22, 1967 and especially the twin proposals of the principles of withdrawal and commitment to peace.” The ambassadors of six Arab states visited Foreign Minister Michael Stewart today and left an aide memoir which reportedly warned Britain of “dangerous consequences” if it supplied arms to Israel. The visitors were the envoys of Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Jordan and Egypt. According to sources close to the Foreign Office the “consequences” hinted at a cut-off of Arab oil and trade with Britain in general.
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.
