§ 100. Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the estimated cost of restoring the Suez Canal to full use; and whether he will seek to arrange for this sum to be a first charge on the revenue earned by the canal when it reopens.
§ Mr. Ormsby-GoreI am not yet able to give even an approximate estimate of the cost of restoring the Suez Canal to full use. The United Nations salvage forces have not completed their examination of the demolitions and obstructions south of E1 Cap. An accurate estimate will probably not be available for some time.
The allocation of the costs incurred by the United Nations in clearing the Canal of the obstructions placed there by the Egyptian Government is one of the matters awaiting discussion by the General Assembly. It would be premature to say how the United Nations operation may be financed.