SOVIET REPLY TO INQUIRIES ABOUT HUNGARY

Chronicle (Levin), 13 June 1947, Page 5

SOVIET REPLY TO INQUIRIES ABOUT HUNGARY

i Press Assfi.

By TelegrQ.pl

- Cdpyright

Received Friday, 10.40 a.m. LONDON, June 12. y Giving an account of M.- Molotov's reply to the British representations about Hungary, the Minister of State, Mr. Hector McNeil, in the House of Commons today, said: "The Foreign Secretary greatly regrets that oitr proper .and measured inquiries should have been met with the accusation that they constituted a renewed attempt on our part to interfere in Hungarian internal affairs." Mr. McNeil added that Britain sought the information because she desired to avoid a possible misunderstanding, and wanted to form a just view of the situation.

"We made no accusations against our allies. Because we are cosignatories of the armistice agreement, and because also of our treaty of friendship with the Soviet Government we shall continue to press both our ally and the Hungarian Government for the full information on the developments in Hungary to which we are entitled." Mr. McNeil said Mr. Molotov stated that he was not prepared to admit. the British eontention that, as one of the powers represented on the Control Commission, Britain had the right to the information for which she had asked. M. Molotov refused to give any details and maintained that the Soviet's policy was to refrain from interference in Hungarian internal affairs. Mr. McNeil said: "Those misrepresentations and inaccuracies have already been rebutted in the House of Lords." Replying to Mr. Anthony Eden, Mr. McNeil said that the Hungary agreement expressly provided that information should be available to the commission without members having to request it. In reply to another question, Mr. McNeil said he refused to subscribe to the assertion that the newspapers had misrepresented the situation in Hungary. He said that if the documents had been available there could not have been misreporting.