1956 - United Nations Security Council Discussion of Suez Canal Crisis

1956 - United Nations Security Council Discussion of Suez Canal Crisis Si. United Nations Security Council. John Foster Dulles & ?? standing & talking w/ photographers around. 15:16:59 SOF Yugoslavian delegate speaking (French). MS re France obligations & Suez Canal Crisis. 15:19:55 LS of Council. Si. 15:20:09 SOF MS Yugoslavian delegate continues on Suez Crisis as others listen & make notes. MCU. 15:21:58 SOF John Foster Dulles speaking. “Much has been said about the need to respect the sovereignty of Egypt in relation to the Canal. Sovereignty exists where a nation can do whatever it wants. Generally speaking a nation can do what it wants, within its own territory, & generally speaking no nation any rights within the territory of another, sovereign, nation. Now the Suez Canal, to be sure, goes thru what is now Egypt; and in this sense the Canal is Egyptian. But the Canal is not, and never has been, a purely internal affair of Egypt, with which Egypt could do what it wants. The Canal has always been, from the very day of its opening an international waterway dedicated to the free passage of the vessels of all nations. Its character as an international right-of-way was guaranteed for all time by the 1888 Convention. Egypt cannot rightfully stop any vessel or cargo from going thru the Canal. And for those who use that right-of-way to combine to secure the observance of their rights is no violation of Egyptian sovereignty but a clear exercise of their rights accorded by International Law, namely by the Convention of 1888. CU But is not that the essence of the matter? Here we have an International Waterway which, as the Egyptian government has said, was an international enterprise from the beginning...” “So Mr. President, we see that the problem that we face is not a problem of restraining nations which are bellicose & which want war for there are no such nations. Nor do we have the problem of creating a new body of International Law, or of applying justice where the equities are confused. Peace is sought by all...the problem we face is dealing concurrently w/ peace & justice. No nation has more eloquently expressed the interconnectedness of peace & justice than Egypt...” Goes on to talk about principles formulated at London conference the previous August. Says Egypt has to accept common use of the canal otherwise no way to negotiate; says Egypt will benefit by accepting. Diplomats; Cold War;