FREE NAVIGATION OF DANUBE ACCEPTED

Chronicle (Levin), 30 November 1946, Page 5

FREE NAVIGATION OF DANUBE ACCEPTED

BIG FOUR IN JOVIAL MOOD Received Friday, 7.20 p.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 28. Mr. Molotov has accepted the principle of the free navigation of tne Danube River, but asked that it be made the subject of an agreement he fcween the Big Four Powers instead of ueing written mto the peace treaties for the iive Axis satellites. The Russian proposal was made at today 's meeting of the Big Four Foreign Mmisters which was described as the "most jovial and friendly" of the series. Mr. Byrnes said if Mr. Molotov wouiil agree to his proposal being incorporatsd in the peace treaties he would b ei willing to abandon his play for provid.ng for a Danuhe conference in his treaties. Mr. Molotov asked for time to° eonsider this suggestion, hut opposecl Greece being invited to any Danube conference. The spokesman after a four-hour meeting voiced the Ministers' hopes that on the basis of the Russian proposal a compromise was possible representing a big stride towards completing the final treaties. ' The reparations' required of the sartellites were also discussed hut the question was postponed until tomorrow. The chief econoniic problem regaining pertains to the ' Anglo-American plan which compels Rumania to pay fair prices for oil bought from the British and American companies operating in' Rumania. Mr. Bevin declared that 42 per cent. of Rumania 's oil output was going to Russia as reparations at prices so low that the Anglo-American companies were being driven to bankruptcy.