The concensus of authoritative opinion here regarding Secretary of State Dulles’ hint yesterday of a “quieter” role for the United States in peace efforts between Israel and the Arab states, is that it is an excellent diplomatic move bordering on the masterpiece.
While Mr. Dulles did not say what “nation or nations” he had in mind as playing “a more useful role” than American possibly can in the area, it was certain here that he had Moslem Pakistan in mind. It was pointed out that Mr. Dulles was well prepared for the question and that a Secretary of State does not pull such important matters from a hat.
This, plus the statement by Pakistan Prime Minister H. S. Suhrawardy that Israel was a fact that one must live with, and that there might be mediation between her and the Arab states, is taken to mean that an era of “quiet diplomacy, ” as sought by Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, may be about to begin in the Middle East. It is significant that at Mr. Hammarskjold’s press conference in Geneva yesterday, he parried all questions relating to the Middle East.
Also, opinion here is that Prime Minister Nehru’s visit to Cairo has much significance along these same lines. Word here from Asian sources is that Mr. Nehru has been trying to get President Nasser to take a less belligerent attitude, not only toward Israel but toward other Arab states, in our out of the Baghdad Pact.
Asian delegates are saying that the American move to allow states within the Asian-African sphere to attempt to bring peace to their own area is a smart move, since any action on the part of the West, particularly the United States now, in a section so newly removed from colonialism begins under an initial handicap. One thing is certain, delegates said the U.S. is not thinking of playing a smaller role in the Middle East, only a quieter one.
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.
