MOLOTOV’S STATEMENT

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24678, 22 September 1945, Page 7

MOLOTOV’S STATEMENT

Remarking that Mr Molotov's statement of Soviet policy to the newspapers has been much discussed m London, the diplomatic correspondent of "The Times" says: "'At one point, Mr Molotov appears to have been generally misunderstood. When he was asked about the future of Italian colonies, especially Eritrea, he said that the Soviet Union had an interest in this and could be helpful towards a solution. It is explained that he did not wish to denote a special Soviet interest in Eritrea. He meant that the Soviet Union, as an Allied Power, was interested in the whole question of Italian colonies in general. Later, and more specifically, he said that there was 'a grain of truth in the report that the Soviet Union had asked for a trusteeship over Tripolitania. "The British Government is now considering the various proposals made for disposing of the Italian colonies, and it will make its views known when the five Foreign Mm-

iste/s' deputies meet to draw up the 1 matter in which the Dominions are no less vitally concerned, tor anything affecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea of ti» lifelines of the Commonwealth,, apart from wider British interests throughout the Middle East "Britain and the pominions have, therefore, to approach the whole problem of Mediterranean security with the same care as the Soviet, for example, shows in building up her «- curity in eastern Europe. AU these matters will be subject to the overriding purpose of making toe .world security organisation more effluent The Council of Foreign Ministeni yesterday considered the general principles of the peace treaties for. Finland and Rumania, using the Soviet« proposals as "a basis for discussion. Britain submitted proposal^about bote treaties, and the United States made proposals about a treaty with Rumania.