Britain Opposed To Talks Among Big Four

Chronicle (Levin), 15 December 1947, Page 5

Britain Opposed To Talks Among Big Four

(N.Z,P-A.-

-Reuter,

Copyright)

Received Sunday, 6.30 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 13, Britain has told Russia and China that all the couni-ries that helped to defeat Japan and that have vital Paciftc interests shoiud participate in the praliminax*y conference to draft the Japanese Peace Treaty. Britain has also declared herseif against the use of the veto and urged two-thirds majority decisions. JNl r. Frnest Bevin, in. Notes to the C'hinese Foreign Almister and the Itus sian Ambassador in London thus re jected the Kussian proposal for Four Power talks on Japan. Alr. Bevin in his Xote to ('hina said Britain agreed -that the early Teestablishment of peac-e and nornial conditions in the Far Kast was of para mount importanee. A preliminarv peace conference should be convened soon and all the countries wliich contributed to Japan 's defeat, suffeivu from Japanese aggr-ession and were vitallv interestecl in Pacilic peace wer,. entitled to be represent6d . as princi pals. Their exclusion would prejiulictthe efficacy of the settlement in which they had a right to be eonsultvd at every stage. A Four Power veto would be likelv to retard settlement and prevent an equitable reiiresentation of all thv principal combatants ' interests, Bn tain hope-d the problem would be ap proached soiely in the spirit of trving to achieve a just settlement as early as possible rather than by reference to rules of procedare which were deviseu for other purposes. Britain believed there was nothing in tlie 1945 BerLin Conference which establislred tlie Coun cil of Foreign Alinisters nor in the terms of reference of the Far Eastem ('oiniuission nniking obligatory the use of the procedure of eitlver of these two bodies in considering the Japanese "peace settlement A Copies of this Xote to Cliina have been sent to tlie Kussian and American Ambassadors in London. Alr. Bevin repeated these views in a separate Xote to the Kussian Ambassador. He said Britain would be prepared to aeeept the invitatiou to a conference in Cliina ulthough she believed AVashington might be more convenient because ali the countries concerned were already represented there by staffs of experts on the Far East. The Xote added that Britain considered there was nothing in the proloeol of the Berlia Conference establishing ihe Foreign Alinisters' Council which was conlined to the studv of the Japanese peace settlement to that bodv. The Council 's specilic tasks were conlined to the European peace settlement. Bri- 1 tain believed that it was neither obligatory nor appropriate for tlie Council to consider other peace sett laments. Rigid adherence to the voting procedure iuvolving the veto should not jnq allowed to imjiede an early and jusl Far Etislern settlement/'