FRENCH SPOKESMAN’S ADDRESS TO U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Grey River Argus, 1 October 1948, Page 5

FRENCH SPOKESMAN’S ADDRESS TO U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Soviet Lacking in Goodwill

HAKiH, September 29.

The French r uicign Minister, x\L Robert Schuman), addressing the United N a nuns uenerai Assembly yesterday, ap P ralea to the united nanons lo euu tne Russian plocxade ox nerlin pecause tne three western x-owers hau exriausced every possibility of direct agreement witn tne Russians.

tie said that Britain, France and America naci not xounu even a minimum ox goodwill in tne talks with “our Russian partners." xvx. ociiuman warned the Assembly mat tne ummd XNations.was on tne brink ox complete xaiiure. He , accused Russia ox resorting to an “act oi xorce" to omckade Dmim. Einpnasismg mat Get many was the clnei problem ueiore the United'Nations, M, Henaman saiu that no form of government compatible with democratic principles would be denied Germany, out the beginnings would necessarily be on a leuerative basis, which was in no way incompatible with the principle of a unilied Germany. lx Germany was at present cut in two it was because the Aines were unable to agree upon a scheme for the joint administrative, economic, arm political reorganisation or the four zones.

M. Schuman denied that the sixPower agreement was aimed at tiie division of Germany, or the elimination of the Soviet authorities. Th? agreement was prompted by the aosence of unanimity which the Western Powers had not ceased to desire. He said that in Berlin the Western Powers were faced with a situation regarding currency, transport, and municipal administration which had been constantly worsening. In spite of the division into four zones there should be four-Power control and administration, but the Assembly would readily understand that living together in such a way required a minimum of goodwill. “We have nqt found this goodwill on the part of our Russian partners,” he =aid “As v/e do not intend either to allow ourselves to be deprived of our rights or abandon the populations entrusted to our care, we now, after two months, during which we have exhausted every possibility of direct agreement, appeal to the Tinited Nations to settle the dispute and put an end to the act of force represented by the blockade “We have no intention of abolish•lng the patchwork of this old Coninent but we are living man age of large economic units and broad n'litical agreements,” he added. “Europe must unite to survive.’