On 31 October 1956, after Israel’s military intervention in Egypt during the Suez Crisis, the Council of Western European Union (WEU) meets in London to analyse the situation in the Middle East. Given the present circumstances, Lord Samuel Hood, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, and his French counterpart Francis Huré outline their temporary joint action to bring hostilities to an end as soon as possible in the Suez Canal region and reaffirm the determination of the United Kingdom and France to restore peace in the Middle East. The two countries deplore the decision by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser to reject the French–British proposal for a ceasefire in the region.