Page 109 - Begrave Thesis_Neat

In early 1955 a COS Committee memorandum re-emphasised the importance

of the Middle East as an-air-and-sea communications crossroads linking three of the

world’s continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was imperative seen as to block any

Soviet incursion into the Middle East thus allowing them access to the Indian Ocean

and the Arabian Gulf. The paper cited Iraq as being pivotal ‘in trying to draw

together the Arab States’. 265

Iraq’s intentions on taking the Western initiative ‘in defence’ of the Middle

East were not left unchallenged. Tensions between Egypt and Iraq grew when the

latter declared its intent to sign a mutual defensive alliance with Turkey. The

announcement was countered by Egyptian propaganda attacks. The Egyptians

called for an emergency prime ministerial meeting to discuss recent developments

in the Arab League on 22 January. 266 In the meeting Egypt declared that it was ‘not

yet ready to accept open alignment between the Arab States and the West’, although

Egypt’s motives were not clear, Stevenson, the British Ambassador to Egypt at the

time, believed it might have been associated with Egypt’s ‘anxiety to maintain her

hegemony of the Arab League and in that way to secure the lion’s share of Western

aid’. 267

In Bahrain, following its successes of 1954, the HEC continued to press the

Administration to accept further demands. The frontline and senior members of the

265 BDEEP, Series B, Part III, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’ 1953-1956. Doc. 566:
DEFE 5/56, COS (55)10 ‘Defence questions in the Middle East area’: COS Committee memorandum
revising JP(54)101, 7 Jan 1955.
266 BDEEP, Series B, Part III, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’ 1953-1956. Doc. 571:
FO 371/115485, [Turco-Iraqi pact]: inward telegram no 92 from Sir R Stevenson to FO on Egyptian
opposition to the proposed pact, 20 Jan 1955.
267 BDEEP, Series B, Part III, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’ 1953-1956. Doc. 574:
FO 371/115491, Arab Prime Ministers’ summit]: inward dispatch no 24 from Sir R Steveson to FO on
the Egyptian opposition to the proposed Turco-Iraqi pact, 10 Feb 1955.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 88