LAOS TALKS TO OPEN

Press, Volume C, Issue 29515, 17 May 1961, Page 15

LAOS TALKS TO OPEN

Boycott Threat By Rightists

(N Z -P.A.- Reular—Cowripht)

GENEVA, May 16.

The 14-Power conference on Laos will open in Geneva today—four days late —under the shadow of a possible boycott by the Right-wing Laotian delegation, and with the attendance of Thailand and South Vietnam also in doubt. The Right-wing Laotian delegation will not attend the conference until it has received fresh instructions from Vientiane, the official delegation spokesman said this morning.

Heads of delegations are expected to open the talks with policy speeches, and Communist representatives—particularly the Chinese —are thought likely to launch strong attacks on the United States. Conference circles in Geneva consider that the United States may have to face accusations of violating the 1954 Indo-China settlement on Laos by sending military advisory groups to the Right-wing Government of Prince Boun Oum. A statement that the conference would open at 5 p.m. today, issued by the British and Soviet Foreign Ministers. Lord Home and Mr Gromyko, came after hours of backstage diplomatic wrangling At the end of it. United States objections to the admission of the pro-Communist Pathet Lao delegation on an equal footing with the other Laotian delegations were overcome. The Americans accepted a British-Indian compromise formula. This glossed over the issue by emphasising that the conference will discuss only international aspects of the Laos crisis, and stating that representatives from Laos proposed by individual governments would be seated at the conference table. The Americans, however issued a statement afterwards that they considered the Vientiane Government to be “the sole authority with the right to speak for their nation." Late last night the Rightwing Laotian delegation threatened to boycott the conference if the neutralist and Left-wing Laotian groups were admitted other than as observers. Hopes that a coalition gov-

ernment might be formed in Laos were dimmed at the Laotian peace talks at Na Mon village yesterday. The Pathet Lao and neutralist groups opposed a Rightwing demand that cease-fire arrangements should come first on the agenda, or be discussed simultaneously with the question of forming a coalition, and the talks became deadlocked. They will be resumed tomorrow. Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia is due to arrive from Nice to preside at today’s opening session of the Geneva talks. After the opening session. Lord Home and Mr Gromyko, as co-chairmen, are expected to take turns to preside over the meetings. They are to be held in the council chamber of the Palace of Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations and scene of the 1954 Indo-China conference. The first week or 10 days is expected to be taken up with a general debate on the Laos question. The Thai and South Vietnamese delegations had not arrived in Geneva last night