Secret Session To Discuss Four-Power Control

Chronicle (Levin), 4 June 1949, Page 5

Secret Session To Discuss Four-Power Control

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Received Friday, S.o() p.m. LOXBOXj- June 3. For the fii'st tiiiie during ^ theii present cohf erence the Council of For' eign Ministers in Paris will tliis after noon go into secret session to discusi wavs and means of reuniting the cit of Berli)i under a single ' * magistrat ' (administration) and' a revived Allied Kommandatura — the four-Power contro body for the city, composed of the foux military comiuandants. - The Daily Herald's diplomatic eor respondent in Paris points out that the cour Foreign Ministers will have before theni two documents: Firstlv, the neu Amei'ican proposal submitted at yester dav's meeting; and, seeondly, those sections of Mr. Vyshinsky's proposalof last week which concern Berlin. Both propose the re-establishment oi the Allied Kommandatura a'nd the hold Ing of new muuicipal elections for a cy.ty assembly for the whol'e of Berlin i)ut the Amei'ican proposal, more de tailed than the Russian, proposes thai the elections^ sliall be free " on the ' nasis of the electoral procedure oi Jctober 194(1." It also suggests revis .no- the division of the powers between tliose allowed to the German municipalLty and those "i'eserved" to the Kom •.nandatura itself. Mr. Vyshinsky has already hinted that he would agree to hand over mort powers to the German mnnicipality. The crucial point now seems to be the nnanimity rule whieh requil'es thai every decision of the Kommandatura shall be agreed to by all four militar> ,'ommandants. The Western Powers insist that the nnanimity rule must go but Mr. Vvshifisky is jttst as insistent on if s retention, and on this issue thereso far is no sign of compromise. Reuter 's Berlin correspondent says the four Allied eommandants of Berlin are due to hold a meeting today — the first since the four-Powei' Kommandatura broke down last year. A British official spokesman emphasised that the meeting woilld not be tantamount to a revival of tlie Kommandatura which held its laSt meeting on July 1 of last year. The Big Four Foreign Ministers' in Paris and the four-Power Kommandatura in Berlin are holding paralleJ meetings today to discuss the future of Berlin. Paris observers believe that the secrecy of the. Foreign Ministers' session is aimed at finding what concessions each side is prepared to make now that the open sparring propaganda speeches are over. An Amei'ican announcement in Berlin said the Kommandatura meeting was ea'lled at the reqnest of the Soviet authorities.