‘Soviet Firm On Vietnam’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31117, 21 July 1966, Page 15

‘Soviet Firm On Vietnam’

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, July 20. The British Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, told Parliament yesterday that there was no change at all in the general position of the Soviet Union on Vietnam. But he claimed that his three-day visit to Moscow had been useful. Reporting to the House of Commons a few hours after

his return, he said that his 10 hours of talks with the Soviet Premier, Mr Kosygin, were dominated by Vietnam and were "deep, detailed, personally very friendly—but very firm.”

“No attempts were made to disguise the gravity—even the dangers—of the situation, and of particular possible developments,” Mr Wiison said. He said that he now realised that many ideas he had heard suggested to get Vietnam peace talks started would not work;

On the credit side, he claimed to have—for the first time

—a clear idea of the Soviet position in great detail. Some aspects of the conflict had never been so frankly discussed before.

Both he and Mr Kosygin also agreed on the dangers of escalation of the fighting, and that the dispute could not be settled purely in the military sphere. The Conservative Opposition leader, Mr Heath, expressed disappointment that Mr Wilson had failed to make any impact over Vietnam. The Labour left-winger, Mr M. Foot, said that the Prime Minister was right to keep seeking peace in -Vietnam, but he and other past critics of Mr Wilson’s policy pressed Mr Wilson to say if he had tried every possible move. The Prime Minister told them it was North Vietnam that turned down previous peace proposals- He emphasised: “I think the real key to this situation lies, in Hanoi.”

He had raised with Mr Kosygin the question of American airmen captured after being shot down over North Vietnam, but he added “I would not want to say anything todaiy to put in greater jeopardy their liberty and even their lives,”