The British Government does not consider it necessary to raise in the United Nations Security Council the questions of Egypt’s blockade of the Suez Canal against Israel-bound shipping because the Jewish state has already placed the matter on the Council agenda, an official spokesman said here today.
He said that the British Government expects that the Council will consider the question after Major General William E. Riley, U.N. Chief of Staff in Palestine, reports on the situation. Asked if the British Government has confidence in Gen. Riley, the spokesman answered affirmatively, pointing out that the General is an official of the U.N., which Britain supports. It is known that British official circles were surprised by Riley’s ruling in favor of Egypt on the Suez Canal blockade issue.
Meanwhile, a Foreign Office official denied reports that Britain had postponed large-scale Royal Air Force maneuvers over the Suez Canal zone in order to “avoid international complications,” as had been reported. The spokesman said that the Air Ministry had made the change for administrative reasons, and without consulting the Foreign Office. The exercises, scheduled for the end of this month, were supposed to have been the largest in that area since the end of the war.
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.
