CONSOLIDATION OF BRITISH POSITION

Chronicle (Levin), 6 April 1946, Page 5

CONSOLIDATION OF BRITISH POSITION

BOLD LEAD IN OWN TROUBLED SPHERE Received Friday, 8.30 p.fp. NEW YORK, April 5. Discussing the news that Mr. Bevin was ready to enter into negotiations to renew Britain 's alliance with France, coupled with the British mission to India and Mr. Bevin 's proposed visit rto Cairo to revise the Apglo-Egyptian. Treaty, the New York Tinies says that 1 laments or cheers on the fieclinp of Britain. are a little premature. Tl(e indications are that the British are not going to leave all the initiative to : Russia or even to the United Stat'es. i An important aspect of .the British | move towards close'r bonds with France is as a gesture of independence. Mr. Bevin is proceeding to carry out his ! own plans to consolidate the -British ! position in Western Europe, regardless l of Soviet objections, givmg notice in | elfect that Russia cannot expect to 1 haye her own way in reorganising. 1 Britain s hold lead in her own troubled | spher'e will-do as much as anything to strengthen the foundations of the ne>v ■ mternational order. | The' fresh promise of an Anglo- ■ French aliiance, arising from the statei ments of the French President (M. I Gotun) " and the British Foreign Secrei tary' (Mr. Bevin) has been irankly wel- ( coiiifcd in London, aithough in diplo- : matlc circles it is not "expected that it ; wili be speedy of accomplishment. i Eeports from Paris indicsite that M. ! Gouin, in suggesting that France would 1 he prepared to relinquish her demand j for the partition of Western Germany, provided her economic and strategical • internationalisation was defimtely ; secured, was speaxing for his own ! party (the Socialists) and not for the ! Oommunists of the M.R.P. (tne Catliolic Pf ogressives) . The Paris torrespondent of the Tinies states that it is kno.wn that M. ; Gouin and the Prench roreign ' secre1 tary (M. Bidault) exchanged acid words gn the suoject and taat M. 1 Bidault adliered to his view tp'at .the 1 Ruhr must be detached fxopi Gerniany | and the Rhineland and the Saar piaced i under' a special aatonofiious regime. It ; is expected that M. Biclault wi)l make i this a question of confidence at a ; Cahinet meeting on , April 5-, and that a statement will then be issued definmg the v\ews of the Governmeiit as a wiiole and which may not be as accom- : modating as M. Gouin 's recent proj nouncement. j Clarification of France 's attitud-e to Germany, qs well as to .the .peace ; treaties with Italy, 1'inland and the | Balkans, together with the reorganisaj tion of Ceucral Europe, it is repiarked here, is needed before Bri,tafn and i i rapce can settie doyyn to a rpsqmptibn j of their cpn ^ersations for an ai^iance." Ail British comment endpfses' the j need for an ^.nglp-French alli?ince. | The Manchester Guiirdian^ for ^fistance, j remarks : ' ' That B(ritaih aird France 1 need each other today must' be plain ! to anybody who looks at the world [ wit'ii a gieam of inteiligence and imagi ipation. The stra.te.gical nepessities t that demand cooperati'p.n ' pre mq'nif est. Poiiticai considera.tions are not less j iniperious. " I Yet, in the 18 mp,nths since the liber1 atipn of France," little ' Jieddway' jias jib^an made^ ^ towards „ap I xp^ndrked that is ;a^iy that the (pf General de G|(uile '.m^0*"a jfrurtF\il j .apprpach difiicult 'for a long tii^e, " wb4e j another obstaele has been the ^ostiiity ! of the French Comniunists to anything i savppring of a nucleus' of a Western Feciera.tion. T-lie fact that .there might have heen an American objection on economic grounds has also been borne in niirid, but it is observed that both M. Gouin and Mr. Bevin have emphasised that the alliance shouid be of a simiiar chara'ctef to the treaties with Russia or shouid include tbe Soviet in a tripartite agreement. And, it is reiharked by the Times, poiiticai collaborgtion betvi(een the two great n'qigh^puring co'qptnes would no ibore be' dirbcted aga,inst the Soviet than ecqnoipic collab.oration would. he dir^-ad ngainst the United States. It' is considered that the logical seqqel to M. Gouin 's and Mr. Bevin' s statements would he .the repioval, as far as possihle, of Jtrench fears concerning her secprity, without inabing .a d-erman settlemeut impra.cticable, .tq•geitber with an economic agreement that would help to set' France on ' her f'eet. Unfortunately, Britain is unable to supply Franpe with epa! as sb'e di(l before the war, but tbere'is still "a .Wicle field of economic cpoperatiop ayailbble. The statement of the French' Cabjln'et whfbh will, it is expected, be issiieb after the meeting pn ^.pril 5 .debqing the Government's. view is awaiied wi^h interest, as is Ms.o tbe p\ibliqa.tion pi t.bp British couptpr-p.r,bposals for ^estern Germany. Meanwhile, tbte British attitude tp•^.ards an alliance is debned by tl\e Tirpps, which siatgs: ''Tbe tiibe has conie for a comp.rsbenslve and' wholeiieajEted Britisb pp^cy in regard- to France — a reviyal of *,tbe .ent^p,te of 10^ yepjfs ago, not in .t^e pld .tg^As, ,biit in tbfjjbs appropriate *to the cbn^i'tions of to(iay. " It adds: "In the proinption of such a pplicy the Unite(l King^opi can f eel no * little confidence thbt ' lt is rigbtly interpreting and meeting fthe xiebd of the '.Commonwealtb a^nd ' m^king* a con.rkibution to" order and' peace which 'tbe Dominiqns will be prepared to recognise" and" welcome as suclb^'