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During the talks, opposition Tories angrily denounced Wilson for "misleading" Parliament into believing that South Arabia did not even want a defense treaty when in fact all evidence suddenly suggested otherwise. Even Egypt itself was pointing up the urgency. "Liberation battles in Aden and South Arabian protectorates," Nasser's First Vice President Abdel Hakim Amer said last week, "must have effective help and participation, and we can provide it."
Another colony that was giving Wilson a spot of trouble was Gibraltar, Britain's only foothold on the European mainland. Early this month, London finally agreed to informal subministerial talks with Madrid concerning Spain's age-old demands for "the Rock." And no sooner were they being planned last week than Labor backbenchers began sniping at the government for agreeing to go to the conference table—even though the talks would be little more than a device to stall off the Spaniards for years to come.