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would become the very first daily newspaper in the Arab States of the Gulf and

would be distributed throughout the region. 810

Concurrent to these events, Britain and France submitted a draft resolution

to the UN Security Council on 13 October consisting of six principles on the issue of

the Suez Crisis: the free passage of ships through the Canal; the acknowledgement of

Egypt’s sovereignty; that the politics of any country must not interfere with the

Canal’s operation; the tolls for passage shall be decided between the users of the

Canal and Egypt; part of the Canal’s revenue would be assigned for developmental

projects; and an arbitration body would be set up to handle disputes should they

arise between the Suez Canal Company and Egypt. 811 The resolution was vetoed by

Russia and Yugoslavia. 812

With these ongoing developments the Israelis and the French were making

plans to launch military action against Egypt. The Israelis hoped to use the attack to

create a buffer zone between them and the Egyptians and have the Gulf of Aqaba

open for shipping. The French had shares in the Suez Canal Company and were

fighting the Algerian resistance movement known as the National Liberation Front

(FLN) supported by Nasser, so (as they saw it) they had a score to settle with the

Egyptian leader. After France had made Britain aware of its plans a meeting was

held by the French, British, and Israelis in Sévres in France. The three sides devised

a plan that would enable them to take over the Suez Canal. The agreement would

810 ‘Bernard Burrows, Residency’s Monthly Diary: September 1956’, in Political Diaries of the Persian
Gulf, vol. 20 1955-1958, ed. R.L. Jarman (London: 1990), 1-7 (2).
811 ‘Draft resolution submitted to the Security Council by Britain and France on 13 October 1956’, in
Documents on International Affairs 1956, ed. N. Frankland, (London: 1959), 249-50.
812 ‘Verdict Against Egypt: Russians use of Veto’, The Times, 15 October 1956, 10.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 259