NORTH ATLANTIC NATIONS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 140, 25 March 1949, Page 3

NORTH ATLANTIC NATIONS

Mr Acheson to Meet Ministers VITAL SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright) (Rec. 12.30) WASHINGTON, Mar. 24. The Secretary of State, Mr Dean Acheson, will meet the Foreign Ministers of other North Atlantic nations on April 2 for an important discussion on relations between Russia and the West. The chief purpose will be to reach formal agreement on the text of the North Atlantic Treaty, which will be signed on April 4, approval for which it already assured. The United Press reports that the Ministers will discuss ways and means of building the treaty into a forceful weapon against Russian aggression, Soviet reaction to the pact, plans 1o protect email nations, and Communist advances in Asia and Berlin. In addition to the Foreign Ministers of the eight founder members, those of Denmark, Portugal, Italy and Iceland will attend if their countries decide to become Charter members of -he Treaty. A London message says that +, ie Communist Party issued ,a statement saying: ‘To save peace, we must combat and repudiate the Atlantic Pact, organise maes demonstrations against it, demand * every member of parliament to vote against ratification of the pact and rally to the support of the Paris world conference for peace.”