RUSSIA REPLIES TO WESTERN NOTES

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25610, 27 September 1948, Page 7

RUSSIA REPLIES TO WESTERN NOTES

Answers Reported To Be Unsatisfactory

MOSCOW ISSUES ACCOUNT OF DIFFERENCES

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 26. Russia has replied to the Western Powers’ latest Notes on the Berlin crisis, and the Western Foreign Ministers will meet in Pails to-day to discuss the reply. American sources express surprise at the promptness of the Russian reply, as the Western Notes were sent to the Kremlin only on Wednesday. A British Foreign Office spokesman refused to comment on the contents of the Soviet Note, but in Paris it was officially indicated that the reply was unsatisfactory. One official said: “It caused nobody to throw his hat in the air with glee.” Reuter’s Paris correspondent says that the Note is believed to be long, because it took a long time to translate. This is believed to indicate that, like the earlier Soviet reply to the aides-memoire given to Mr Molotov in Moscow, it is neither a [positive nor negative reply to the questions of principle which [the Western Powers are trying to clarify. If this assumption [is correct, the Foreign Ministers in Paris are expected to take [the problem to the United Nations—probably to the Securitv Council. The Moscow radio to-day gave the Soviet version of the [four-Power decisions in the Moscow negotiations and the differences which arose when the commanders-in-chief in Ger'many sought to apply them. According to this statement, the Western commanders would not give the Soviet authorities control of all transport including air services, between Berlin and the Western zones and the Soviet commander insisted that, the four-Power financial commission to be set up to introduce and circulate a single currency in Berlin should function in Berlin only, not in the Soviet zone.