Joseph N. Greene Jr., the new head of the American diplomatic mission in Cairo, will arrive in the Egyptian capital tomorrow to take up his post, the State Department confirmed today. The mission is officially known as the American interests Section and is located in the Embassy of Spain which has handled US interests in Egypt since the diplomatic break with Cairo in 1967.
State Department spokesman Charles Bray denied, however, that Greene was carrying a written message to the Egyptian government regarding renewal of activity on an interim agreement to reopen the Suez Canal, initiated by the US government. “I’ve seen speculation that he is carrying a piece of paper. I would like to say categorically that is not true,” Bray told newsmen.
Asked if Greene had an oral message to convey, Bray replied, “Secretary (of State William P.) Rogers said last week that we will be indicating to the Egyptian government in an appropriate time and in an appropriate manner our willingness to play a helpful role in the interim negotiations between the parties.” Observers added the US approach to Egypt and the Egyptian reaction will not be hurried.
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.