In response to Richard Symonds (Letters, July 11), the real tragedy of the 1956 Suez campaign was that it had to be aborted.

Had it succeeded, the whole Middle East situation could have been so different.

Nasser was instrumental in bringing the Soviet Union into the area. This led to the Arab nations and terrorist groups receiving Russian military hardware and more than three decades of total impasse.

Had the Anglo/French action succeeded, the subsequent settlement could have led to peace in the area.

Egypt would probably have accepted Israel's right to exist in return for the return of the Sinai (as it did 20 years later).

The neighbouring states would have accepted the status quo with much violent misery avoided.

This may seem fanciful but the war of 1967 may never have happened. There would be no occupied West Bank or Gaza.

All this before fundamentalism reared its ugly head.

-Richard J Szypulski, Hollingdean, Brighton