Offer Of Mediation To Indonesia

Chronicle (Levin), 18 August 1947, Page 5

Offer Of Mediation To Indonesia

(N.Z.P.A.-

Reuter,

Copyright)

Received Sunday, 9,50 p.m. .. " WASHINGTON, August 17. The United States has given the Indonesian EepubliC- a last chanee to accept the Ameriean offer to mediafe iii the strife between Indonesia and thh Netherlands. The State* Department, in a Note whieh the Ameriean ConsuiGeneral at B'atavia (Mr. Walter Foote) has prpsented to the Indonesian VieePremier (Mr." A. Iv. Gani) said: "The Netherlands Government has indieated its willingness to arrange through direet negotiations for a settlement as proposed by the United States. If, therefore, the Indonesian authorities are willing to aeeept as' the Netherlands has done the good offices of the United States in 'bringing about direet negotiation the United States will be glad to pursue the matter further. "If on the other hand the Indonesian authorities insist on speeifying a partieular inethod of settlement as they have heretofore done, witlxout taking into aceount whether it would be ae eeptable to the" Other party, our offer of good offices neeessarily lapses. The United States would in that event have no alternative other than to inform the Netherlands Government and the Security Couneil that the Indo nesian authorities had not aecepted our offer." The State Department 's statement added: "The Indonesian authorities, perhaps from a misunderstanding of our tender, have in effect rejected the Ameriean offer wliich was intended to bring both parties together without delay to work out an equitable solution between themselves." The proposal for arbitration of the Indonesian eonflict by three countries chosen independently of the Security Couneil was made by Mr. Van Kleffens in the Security Couneil. He suggested that the Indonitfsian Republic and the Netherlands should eaeh designate one nation for the Arbitration Commission and those two nations would appoint another nation whieh they regarded as impartial. This impartial State would send a number of its nationals to Indo nesia to investigate the situation.