Everybody knows that the Middle East at the moment looms large in our thoughts John Selwyn Lloyd, British Foreign Secretary

"There are many problems in the Middle East which I want to discuss with him," Mr Selwyn Lloyd told a news conference.

"It's been three years since I last met him and I think everybody knows that the Middle East at the moment looms large in our thoughts."

For the last seven years the armed truce between Israel and the Arabs, enforced in part by the United Nations forces, has been punctuated by raids and reprisals.

Tensions are extremely high as Israel is becoming convinced the Arabs are preparing for war.

Conference

Mr Selwyn Lloyd will try to reassure Colonel Nasser about the Baghdad Pact, a military agreement signed last year between Iraq, Turkey, Britain, Iran and Pakistan.

Colonel Nasser is strongly opposed to it as he regards it as another means by which Nato can dominate the Middle East.

The SEATO conference, due to take place from 6 to 9 March, aims to implement closer military and economic ties between its eight members - Britain, France, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Siam and the Philippines.

While he is in Delhi Mr Selwyn Lloyd will take the opportunity to discuss the current situation in Indo-China with the Indian Prime Minister, Jawarharlal Nehru.

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