President Eisehower at his press conference today said that if relations between Israel and the Arab countries are to be improved, both sides must make concessions. He emphasized that he is highly pleased by the Anglo-Egyptian agreement on the Suez Canal issue, under which Britain has agreed to withdraw its forces from the Canal area.
Asked whether Egypt had expressed any intentions in the Suez Canal settlement of improving relations with Israel, the President replied that he did not know, because the Arab-Israel problem is so confused. There is no future for either side, he stated, unless improved relations are brought about. American policy, he said, is aimed at promoting friendship in the Middle Eastern region.
The State Department today ordered the expediting of plans to provide Egypt with free American munitions similar to the grant of arms recently given to Iraq. The Egyptian Embassy here made known its contentment with U.S. arms plans on Egypt’s behalf* An Embassy spokesman said Premier Gamal Abdel Nasser has decided that Egypt will build a powerful national army.
The Egyptian spokesman said it was his country’s understanding that the present anti-Israel blockade of certain cargoes moving through the Canal to and from Israel would be continued and that the Sues settlement in no way compromised Egypt’s attitude toward “Israel aggression. “
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