ITALIAN TREATY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 272, 29 August 1946, Page 6

ITALIAN TREATY

DISCUSSION OF FRONTIER AREAS AUSTRALIAN AMENDMENT DEFEATED (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 1.5 p.m.) EARIS, August 28. Australia withdrew its amendment at a meeting of the Balkans committee, Dr. E. R. Walker (Australia), saying it was obvious that more than half the delegates were against the proposal. Signor Saragat at a meeting of the Italian committee* said that Italy, in the interests of peace, was willing to accede to French claims to the area in St. Bernard Pass and other areas. The committee then began a discussion on Article 2 of the treaty dealing with modifications of the Italian and French frontier alpine areas. The French Minister of the Colonies. M. Moutet, discussing Mont Cenis Plateau, said the area totalled less than 20,000 acres. Mr W. R. Hodgson (Australia) proposed that as this l was disputed territory a sub-committee be formed to consider the case. He said the article did not guarantee the Italians even the right to inspect a reservoir which, if the dams burst, might flo.od Italian territory. Only Australia and New Zealand in the economic committee voted in favour of the Australian reparations amendment, which was defeated by 15 votes to two, with Holland, Canada and South Africa abstaining. “Unjust, impracticable, unacceptable, stereotyped and abstract,” were some of the adjectives which Mi Vyshinsky used in his attack upon the Australian proposal. Mr Vyshinsky declared that reparations were the cornerstone of the peace- treaties. He warned that further delay in investi gating war damage claims would mean postponing the peace conference. Comparing the Russian demands from Italy with the Greek and Ethiopian claims, which were reported to be £700,000,000 and £190,000,000 sterling respectively, Mr Vyshinsky said that Russia was interested only in the principle of punishing the aggressor country, '■ ■ . / „ When Greece and France also opposed the amendment, Dr. Walker said it appeared that there had been considerable support fpr certain funda mental ideas .running through tin amendment. If the amendment were defeated, Australia reserved the_ light to bring forward a new amendmen giving effect to such part as a reasonable proportion of the committee seemed to favour. Submit Views in Writing

The military committee decided that enemy ‘states should submit their view in writing. The committee would hear the views of Albania, Mexico, Egypt, Cuba and Persia if sponsored by a member of the committee. The Hungarian political and ten torial committee, after adopting t minor Australian amendments, Jid'op ed the text of the preamble to .the draft peace treaty. it The committee decided to invite Hungary to submit a niemorandun stating its views on territorial and political clauses of the drafttreay. “I do not understand what brought delegates from Australia, which is thousands of miles away, to Europe to plav the role of missionaries sacrificing" themselves for the savages Europe,” said Mr Kardelj (Y-ugo slavia), arguing against the Australian “human rights” amendments m Bulgarian committee. He Mi Hodgson (Australia) for opposm s th< suggestion that the Bulgarian deletion should be allowed to give its views on the proposed draft treaty. “I am against the use of the wor s justice, equity and democracy in amendments which are against the in terests of little countries. Australia, S presenting tliese political amendments is obviously acting as the agei . S“he British Empire, to which she be The gS Et. Hon. W. J. Jordan, supporting Mr Hodgson, asked the cham man, Mr Kisselev, to make speaker, stick to the Pei napu it is part of Mr Kardelji’s five-yeai plan to speak here until we are dead Please, Mr chairman, when speakers start talking about cray--fish and chrysanthemums, him-, them back to the point. Then I, as a vicechairman, will back you up. • Mr Hodgson referring to Mr Kaidelj’s “prelevant and offensive abuse, said, Mr Kardelj read a prepared speech: “I wonder who wrote it tor him.” , , The committee by 12 votes to l agreed to adopt the first part of the , Australian amendment retelling to the principles of justice in the preamble to the treaty.