LONDON: Interesting light on America’s attitude to the Arab-Israeli conflict was thrown by correspondent Louis Heren of “The Times” in a despatch entitled “Agreement with Israel that America forgot” [June 1].

In the words of this correspondent, the abortive visit to Washington by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Eban, has “a lesson for all America’s allies”. For the US State Department computer could not trace the secret Israeli-American agreement on the Gulf of Aqaba which Mr Eban said was concluded before Israeli withdrawal from Sharm el-Shaikh in 1957.

“The Times” despatch advised the allies of America to “keep records of every agreement, arrangement and understanding, and preferably notarised, because in this age of computer memories and microfilm files the United States cannot be trusted to keep them — that is records, not commitments”.

[Meanwhile, as reported by agencies in Rawalpindi,] President Ayub Khan today [June 1] reiterated Pakistan’s full support to the Arab viewpoint on the Middle East crisis.

In his first of the month broadcast this evening, President Ayub said: “The recent crisis which has overtaken the Middle East is the inevitable result of the aggressive moves of Israel.”

On this issue, President Ayub added: “We have always given full support to the Arab viewpoint,” which, he said, was based on the principles of justice and right. These principles, President Ayub felt confident, would overcome “every other force”.

The President said: “It is our earnest prayer that the Middle-East crisis may be resolved in a peaceful manner.”

On such occasions, however, it was imperative to exercise a check on emotion. As the issue relates to matters of principle and righteousness, it was necessary to consider with a cool mind every aspect of it, so that one could take a firm stand in support of justice, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2017