Time for Recognition
Fr HE revolution in the Yemen has had the incidental result of causing the British Goy.' ernment to have serious second thoughts about the proposed Federation of South-West Arabia. Also the revolution has not so far had the unbalancing effect in the Middle East that was at first feared. In his press conferences Brigadier Sallal has been eminently sensible about his aims; he clearly longs for British and American recog- nition and, despite the minor and hardly unpro- voked bombing incident in Beihan earlier this week, this should not be long in coming. The revolutionary leader has said that be wishes to steer clear of all frontier disputes, which in the Yemen, with Saudi Arabia and the British Protectorates on its borders, is the most difficult task of all. But clearly if he is to be a responsible statesman, as the Algerian example showed, it is the only possible course. Britain should do everything she can to help him. W' may do this most easily by finding a sensible solution for Aden. The resistance to Federation in Aden is mounting every day, but it is still not so much to the idea of Federation as to the manner of its imposition. The strikes are serious, the present one of the local employees of the . armed services involving a large number of people, not by any means all of them Yemenis; equally serious is the way the slightest provoc3" lion or organised troop movement is now lead- ing to riot. Happily, however, those Adenis who them- selves supported the Federation plans seem now to be having their doubts; an Adeni Minister, Muhammad Husseiny, who voted in favour, last week unexpectedly arrived in London for talks with Mr. Sandys. He has, of course, been fol- lowed by the Governor himself. It has become increasingly clear that the idea must be held back until there have been fresh elections in Aden, and preferably elections with an enlarged fran- chise.
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