Suez Canal

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Egypt – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 11 February 1957.

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Following is the text of a statement given to Sir Pierson Dixon by Mr. Hammarskjoeld on 1st December;There has been no official statement from the Egyptian Government that Egypt is in a state of war with France and the United Kingdom. Egypt has repeatedly reaffirmed its intention to implement freedom of passage as established in the 1888 Convention. There is, therefore, nothing that should cause us to believe that Egypt, after a withdrawal of the British and French forces, would interfere with British and French shipping through the Canal in violation of its undertakings under the convention. Certainly, there would be no justification for such interference. The Secretary General, who has had an opportunity to discuss these various matters in detail with the Government of Egypt, has assured me that this represents also his understanding of the situation.