CANBERRA TALKS ON JAPAN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25274, 28 August 1947, Page 7

CANBERRA TALKS ON JAPAN

PEACE CONFERENCE WANTED SOON

CANBERRA, August 2?. The delegates to the British Commonwealth talks on the peace terms for Japan have agreed that the first meeting of the Peace Conference should be held as soon as possible. All the nations represented also agreed with the Australian view that the proposed Washington conference to begin work on the peace treaty should be on a ministerial level so that policy could be decided before the discussion of details. All the British nations are understood to be opposed to the use of tho veto at the Peace Conference. They support the American proposal that decisions should be by a two-thirda majority. No decision on this matter has yet been reached at the talks. The decision that the Washington conference should be on a ministerial or'"policy-making level reverses the American proposal that a conference of officials should draft the treaty and submit it later to the Ministers for approval. The Australian suggei tion, which is strongly supported by Great Britain, is regarded as a time-saver and it is linked with a desire on the part of the British nations to have the final treaty signed by next June. To-day the conference is discussing the disposition of Japanese territories and the conditions of disarmament and demilitarisation.