BIG FOUR SHOULD MEET

Chronicle (Levin), 5 August 1946, Page 8

BIG FOUR SHOULD MEET

Press Assn.-

Consideration of Changes

draft peace treaties

j By Telegravh

-Co.vyriQht

Received Sunday, 7 p.m. PARIS, August 2. Mr. Maclcenzie lying (Canada), in a speech at the Paris Oonference, proI p..sed that the Big Pour Foreign Minis- ! ters should meet during the Paris Oonj ferenee. South Afriea supported the ! proposal. Mr. Maekenzie Iving said he would ' lilce to see the four great Powers willmg to consider promptlv any changes in the Poreign Ministers' proposals, "which were seriously suggested by strong arguments." This eourse would f'acilitate the immediate acceptance of ! any agreed modilications of the draft. I treaties aml would avoid the neeessity j of votes and divisions. | The White Russian dotegate, Mr. ] Kisselov, deelaring that eertain of the j Big Pour's proposals were "entireiy j unacceptable," particularly criticised ] the decision on Italian eolonies. ''Any ' further presence of British troops in j these eolonies," he said, "will be interI preted by public opinion as a British ati tempt to influence these territories uni dulv. ' ' l)r. Jan Masaryk (Czechoslovakia) j speaking in Englisli, was emphatic that j the Czech people would not accept reI newal minority right treaties for forj eign groups^ within their borders. He 'said, " If the Czech Government shonld j try to force the people into sucli miu- > ority treaties, it would most lilcely have to look for another job." The correspondent of the Associated j Press says that although Dr. Masaryk did not mention the Hungarian minorities by naine, it was obvious that he j was referring to this group, wliich, un- | der the treaties after the Great War, had practical autonomy within the | Czech borders. j Dr. Masaryk referred to the links in war with the western Powers, and then I expressed pride at the record of the Czech forces. on the eastern front. He declared that Czechoslovakia did not want a "peaee of vengeance. " It wanted "permanent peace. " Greatest Ovation Tet. I)r. Masaryk rpceived the greatest ovation so far, the applanse lasting fortwo minutes. However, the ehamber th rough out the session was about onethird full. Neither Mr. Molotov nor Mr. Byrnes was present when Mr. Kisselov spoke, and Mr. Attlee left before the session ended. Four aniendments were tabled on the i disputed section of the conference | rules stipulating the two-ihirds majorI itv on questions of substance. New Zealand, Brazil, Holland and Yiigoslavia all tabled aniendments. Those of New Zealand, Brazil and Holland aimed at securiug a simple majority procedure. Yugoslavia has taken a different eourse and proposes that no recoinmeiHlation on ljoundary issues

should be valid unless the Power whose ethnic or national territory is affected agrees. This is openlv designed to safeguard the Yugoslav position at Trieste. " The work of the Rules Committ.ee was marked this morning by a Polish gcsture in withdrawing a ^laim to sit on Ihe political committee for Hungary, in order to expedite the work of the con ferenee. The ro was long diseussion on the Pol'Ish claim, in whic.h tlie Polish delegate, Mr. Winiewicz, insisted on the right to sit on the committee becausc Poland had beeu de facto at war against Hungary. Dr. Masaryk also supported Poland, but .Mr. Byrnes, although saying that lie svmpatiiised with the Polish viewi point, recalled that the committee on the previous day had rejected a Dutch amendment urging the representatiou of all 21 Powers on the committee. The Rules Committee could not therefore make exceptions. • After Britain, South Afriea and the Xetherlands had opposed Poland, Mr. Winiewicz agreed to withdraw the amendment. • • . . •. »

; When tljfe -Ruljs Udthniittee nfet «gam Holland annonneed.-.f thaf Bhi; .^fbuldwithdraw the amendment 'pjopOsing Franee have sole ehairmanship. The Dutch delegate, Mr. Jonlcheer van Starkenborgh, explained that M. Bidault had made it knovrn he woula accept the ehairmanship only if the 21 nations voted unanimously. Mr. Starkenborgh then proposed that the conterenee should simply elect a chairman. Mr. Mason (New Zealand) ■ agreed to the Dutch suggestion and also witndrew the New Zealand amendment. Mr. Clementis (Czechoslovakia) opposed the new Dutch amendment aua deplored the length of the diseussion. He complained that delegates were not showing any real desire for unanimity and asked for the support of the Big Four reeonimendation of rotating the ehairmanship. Mr. Defreitas Valle (Brazil) witJidrew Brazil 's amendment and favoured the eonferenee electing a chairman. He hoped M. Bidault would be eleeted. Mr. Molotov opposed the Duteh amendment and asked the committee to coufirm the Big Four proposal. He argued that disagreement would have a serious and dangerous elfeet on woricl opinion. " Wliat is the reason beliina the objections to the proposal by tiie Foreign Ministers?" he asked. He added: "There is a desire to overthrow the decision of the Couneil or Foreign Ministers and it should be clear why the Couneil adopted the proposal. It gives expression to the desire that, while proposals debated by tlie Couneil should be diseussed by all delegates to the conference, the Couneil, mcluding China, should not divest itseif of responsibility for its decisions. " He said Franee and America supported the Big Four proposal. Hir Hector ATeil said Britain supported the New Zealand and Dutcii aniendments beeause it was essential to have the prineiple relating to the ehairmanship as widely acceptable to the conference as possible. However, it was now plain the New Zealand and Dutch proposals were not generally acceptable, therefore Britain would j ipw

support the Foreign Ministers' proposal for rotatihg the ehairmanship. Dr. Kvatt said the question was the right of an international conference to elect its ovvn chairman. AI r. Molotov suggested some attempt was being made to find and widen a rift in Cnited Nations. pr. Evat-t shoufed: "Nothing of the kind. ' ' Dr. Evatt, with emphasis, said: "This is simply an attempt by the conference t-o express its ovvn view on a point ot prineiple without being controlled by what has taken place in advance. l^et me assure Mr. Molotov we eame here to try to suggest improvements so fehat the Couneil of Foreign Ministers mav come to final decisions in some respects better than those now reached. I must insist on tlfeCrights ..of- all delegates to '-exp.restC, views fr.eely. Neither Mr. Moiotdv^or 4&r\ Sector ' M,cNeil has answered the siniple .'question,' has -the conference the right to elect its ovvn chairman. ' '

Mr. Byrnes said the diseussion on the ehairmanship had assumed an importance it did not actually have. He feared the wrangle would affect the deci- ; sions of the conference and also the 1 later meetings of the Foreign Ministers. He wanted delegates to know United States' attitude. "Where suggestions j sent out by the Couneil don't eause me to feel they wonld be harmful, I want to go along With those proposals," Mr. Byrnes added. United .States had agreed to the Big Four submitting proposals on procedure on condltion it was made clear they were to be agreed on or rejected by the conference. -United States had refused to be bound beforehand to any linal decision on the rule of procedure. The Dutcli amendment was defeated 12 — 8. New Zealand, Brazil, Austraiia, Belgium, Greece, India, Holland and South Afriea voted for it. United States, Byelorussia, Canada, Franee, China, Britain, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Iiussia and Yugoslavia against it. Ethiopia abstaihed. Under the French alphabetical order, the iirst ehairmanship will go to America with Franee, Britain and Russia t'aking tnrns. The committee adjourned till Monday.