Dr. Evatt Makes Move for Settling Berlin Deadlock

Grey River Argus, 13 November 1948, Page 5

Dr. Evatt Makes Move for Settling Berlin Deadlock

FARIS, November 11. It is reported that the chairman of the United Nations General Assembly, Dr H. V. Evatt (Australia) has initiated a move, on which top United Nations officials are now v/orking, to transfer the Berlin dispute from the Security Council to the General Assembly. Dr Evatt is expected to propose that the Big Four Powers consider the dispute (dormant in the Security Council since the Russian veto killed the compromise plans) in the light of Mexico’s resolution, passed in the Assembly, calling on the Big Four to compromise on their differences. United Nations officials said that Dr Evatt began the project 10 days ago in consultation with Mr Trygve Lie, Secretary-General of U.N.0., who is making a study of Berlin currency. It is reported that Dr Evatt plans a four or five-man committee to handle the situation. “NEUTRAL SIX” MEET Dr Bramuglia (Argentina) has arranged a meeting to-morrow of the “neutral six” —China, Syria, Argentina, Colombo, Canada, and Belgium —presumably to inform them of the latest developments. Sources close to Dr Evatt stressed that his approaches to the Big Four have been very tentative. The British United Press correspondent quotes Argentine officials as frying that Dr Bramuglia and M Vyshinskv discussed Berlin currency at lunch.’ It is also reported that they discussed a plan by Dr Evatt and Mr Trygve Lie, which envisages the introduction of Russian currency throughout Berlin simultaneously with the lifting of the blockade. In was preferable that international problems should be dealt with through the United Nations, if they could not be settled through normal diplomatic channels, said the Prime Minister, Mr Attlee, in the House of Commons. He was replying to a question by Mr H. L. Austin whether Mr Attlee would approach President Truman and M. Stalin with a view to meeting them to discuss presentday problems. Mr Attlee said: “I am well aware that such meetings were useful during the war. lam not so sure that a meeting would be useful at present to supersede the ordinary methods”.