Commission Agrees On Draft Report

Press, Volume C, Issue 29501, 1 May 1961, Page 13

Commission Agrees On Draft Report

fhZ P.A.-Rnttr-Copynght) NEW DELHI, April 29. The three-nation International Commission on Laos reached agreement today on a draft report to be submitted to Britain and the Soviet Union suggesting steps to be taken when it goes to Laos to control a cease-fire The final draft, it was hoped, will be sent to London and Moscow on Monday.

The neutralist former Laotian Prime Minister, P-ince Souvanna Phouma, has set a 48-hour deadline for the pro-Western, Rightwing Laotian Government to send delegates to a peace conference, according to Tass.

He told a press conference that the non-arrival of proWestern delegates indicated that the Boun Oum regime did not want a cease fire. The British United Press reported that a 1500-man Royal Laotian truce mission had set out from Vientiane to meet Pathet Lao representatives early today at the

front to arrange a cease fire But the attempt inexplicably failed, the Minister, General Photimi Nosavan, said. B.U.P. said front-line tai A - ere to have taken place a. he village of Vang Khi. 22 miles south of Vang Vieng The Royal Laotian delegation left Vientiane in 90 vehicles and a number of helicopters . . The failure of the ""“122 was not explained in tne Note received by General Pboumi Nosavan early today. In Ankara. Reuter reported. the British Foreign Secretary (Lord Home) said today that there was hope of a cease fire in Laos, and the possibility of a meeting today to implement it. Lord H-cie. who came to Ankara for the Central Treaty Organisation Ministerial conference which ended yesterday, told a press conference that Laos was the jfreateet immediate world issue. . .. Lord Home underlined the necessity for machinery to

enforce negotiated settlements and said the weakness of the Geneva agreement on Indo-Chir.a was that it provided for no efficient mechanism for channelling aid to Laos. Reports reaching Tokyo said that Mao Tse-tung and other Chinese Communist leaders were holding a secret meeting at Hangchow on the situation in Laos, the British United Press reported. The reports said that the meeting was called some time ago by Mr Mao to discuss Chinese production problems. But it was believed that the turn of events in Laos had made Laos the chief item of discussion.