Replies Sent To Western Notes

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25548, 16 July 1948, Page 7

Replies Sent To Western Notes

FOUR-POWER TALKS INVITED ON GERMANY

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, July 15. In Notes delivered yesterday Russia told the three Western powers that she could not accept as a condition of settlement of the East-W est struggle in Germany their demand for the immediate lifting of the land blockade of Berlin. The reply said that the Soviet Command was striving for t^ e speediest elimination of the difficulties which had arisen jj Berlin. ‘lf necessary the Soviet Government will not object to ensuring sufficient supplies for the whole of Greater Berlin by its own means,” it added. The Russians said that they did not object to negotiations on the German question as a whole, but these must not be binged to preliminary conditions nor confined solely to Berlin. “The British Cabinet will this morning consider the Russian reply, and immediate contacts will be made with the United States and French Governments,” says the diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Mail.” “The terms of the Soviet reply have not caused any great surprise in London. A refusal to lift the blockade of Berlin was expected, but in general the reply is milder than was expected. It certainly leaves the door open for a further exchange of diplomatic Notes.” Russia’s refusal to end the blockade of Berlin was regarded by officials in Washington last night as evidence of unyielding determination to force the Western Powers either to withdraw from Berlin entirely or to suspend their plans for unifying Western Germany and reopen the whole question of agreement with Russia on the unification of all Germany. American authorities who spent all day studying the Soviet Note are said to have found in it no proposal which might lead to a compromise on Berlin. Some officials said that the Soviet declaration contained no proposals at all but amounted merely to a rejection of the Western Powers’ proposals.