LITTLE REAL PROGRESS BY BIG FOUR

Chronicle (Levin), 11 May 1946, Page 5

LITTLE REAL PROGRESS BY BIG FOUR

ARGUMENTS OVER PEACE CONFERENCE Received Friday, 9.20 p.nt. LOXDOX, .Mav 9. Tlie Foreign Afinisters for two hours ; inconclusively diseussed Arr. Byrnes'j proposal for a peace conference' on June ! 15, says the Associated Press Paris cor- j respondent. Another session will be j held tomorrow morning. An American source tated that the . Ministers listened for thirty minutes to I a recital of dih'erenees among the Allies on draft treaty inaking and tlien began arguing Arr. B'yrnes' plan. Mr. Molntov, according to ' R'euter 's correspondent, told Arr. Bevin that Arr. Byrnes and he were uiiable to accept a pioposal to hold a. peace conference on .Tune 15, but sug'gested that the Foreign Atinisters meet again at Paris on June 5 to cxamine the work done in the meantime by their deputies. A date for a peace conference could then possibty be lixed. Atr. Atolo tov repeated Kussian insistence that draft treaties should lie eompleted before a peace conference. He said Mr. Byrn.es' proposal emasculated the Aloscow Conference decisi'on and therefore was unacceptable to Russia. A peai-e conference would have the right to make recommendations but its business was to consider final texts. Alany diplomats and observers in Paris don't s'ee how a peace conference could be made to work while the Big Powers are in disagreement and thev believe pinning easy hopes upon it, is merely to disregard or minimise the seriousness of tlie present impasse, says the Times' correspondent. Far from entertaining hopes that the maui Powers would be more ready to make concessions before a wider audien.ce, thev think attitudes would be stiffene 1 because each Power would rely for support on its own kpeeial friends. All tlie old arguments would be resumed with more spokesmen. The correspondent says there is disappointmeut, anxiety and bitterness in French political eircles which are dismayed to learn how little real negotiation has taken plaee during rhe conference.