FOREIGN MINISTERS MAKE PROGRESS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 July 1946, Page 5

FOREIGN MINISTERS MAKE PROGRESS

FRONTIER PROBLEM NARROWED DOWN Received Tuesdav, 7 p.m. LONDON, July 2. Mr. Afolotov, during a three hour moe ting of the Foreign Ministers tonight, agreed that XI. Bidault's proposals for Trieste and the Italian-Yugo-slav frontier, could be takou iis a biisis for discussioii subject to a Russian aniendment, says Reuter's Paris eorrespbndent. The ALinijstevs , decided ro study fhe Frencli pfoposa'ls ovemigiit ahifl discpss thefii a^ain Tomorr.ow. The whole session was devoted to the Yenezia Giulia problem and it was stated progress at times was consiuerable. XI r. Bevin, after tlie meeting, said: "We made good progress. The matter has been narrowed down to a very clefiriite issue." Reuter says Xrr. Xlolotov, during the conference, said he would agree to tne [taliau-Yugoslav frontier proposed by the Frencli 011 condition tliut a zone bounded 011 the west by the Adriatic and 011 tlie east liy tlie soutliern part oi the Frencli line, should be internationalised togeiher with Trieste. The zone would extend froni.XLonfalcone to Cittanuova Distria on the Adriatic coast, 25 miles soutlivvest of Trieste. Reuter says it was Xlr. Bevin and Xlr. Bvrnes who souglit an adjournment or the discussioii until tomorrow. Xlr. Byrnes is believed to be not prepared to aecept the internationalisation or Trieste 's adjoining area uniess under tlie United Xations control. He f'eels control by the Big Four would only pei'petuate present differences. Xlr. Byrnes and Xrr. Bevin are also reported to have disagreed with Mr. Xlolotov's proposats lor the area of the Trieste zone whereupon M. Bidault produced what he desc.ribed a*n iinprovised two-point proposal which Xlr." Moloto'v accepted. Reuter says M. Bidault's new plan gives the Trieste zone land coinmunicalion with Italy via the Gulf of Trieste coast wliereas Xlr. Xlolotov's earlier pi'oposal denied Trieste any linlc with Ltaly cxcepl by sea or across Yugoslav territory. An Agency correspondent says before M. Bidault produced tlie new plan, Xlr. Molotov circulated maps showing the international zone proposed by Russia. Xlr. Byrnes and Mr. Bevin pointed out tliat the boundary line left waterworks, power stations and oil refinerics in Yugoslavia and would cut across shipvards and even some city tramlincs. Mr. Xfolotov argued that liis objective was"to leave the fewest possilde Yugoslavs outside Yugoslav territory in vi'ew of tlieir suflerings during the war.