FEAR OF RENEWED WAR IN INDONESIA

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25678, 15 December 1948, Page 5

FEAR OF RENEWED WAR IN INDONESIA

Report By U.N. Good Offices Committee

FAILURE OF TALKS BETWEEN DUTCH AND REPUBLIC

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(ReC T I ( ‘ ’’T’ hi f - e i BATAVIA, December 14. ? in° InSsta’is h onlnlv S resu,ti ?S fr « m ‘he United Nations Security Council’s Committee' oTcood WHce! in a special report on the direct talks between representattves of the Indonesian Republican and Dutch Governments T nf r S Up of an * nterim Federal Government bv a decree of the Government of the Netherlands, tfhichfc“annarently to occur on January 1, will contribute further ‘o the opinion of the Republic that the Netherlands Government has ‘h? t 0 e^ blish "Kimately a United pX”’ says the report W " tefmS and without the Re '

The Committee of Good Offices has no confidence that even the present unsatisfactory level of truce enforcement can be maintained, as the possibility of political agreement becomes more remote. The Committee can see in the“ent siteatten only an intensification of the factors already making for fur ther economic deterioratmn, general unrest, and social upheaval. H

“Widespread hostilities, involving the conflict of organised armed groups on a large scale, might be the outcome.”

OFFER BY INDIA TO REPUBLIC

A North American Newspaper Alliance report says: “Dr. Soemitro, the Indonesian Minister Plenipotentiary in the United States, disclosed to-day that his Government had been invited to set up a Government in exile in India if necessary. Dr. Soemitro said that the invitation had come from the Prime Minister of India (Pandit Nehru), after the collapse of the Dutch-Indonesian negotiations last week. *“I am afraid war will break out in the East Indies within a few weeks,’ Dr. Soemitro said. ‘lf we operate from India we will buy arms and ammunition. and enlist the support of the peoples of South-East Asia to end Dutch domination. We know we can count on the help of the peoples of India, Pakistan. Burma. Malava. Australia. and New Zealand. The United

ivfoi e i S ?, an -5 elp ’ too « b y cutting off Marshall aid to Holland.’ ” “Tile United States State Department wants the negotiations on Indo- * p S U E aI future to be resumed,” said Mr Michael McDermott, a State Department press officer, in Washington to-day, according to the United Press. He said that the talks should be described as interrupted rather than as broken off. The United Press says: “There are mounting indications that the United States is urging Holland not to take any step that might disturb the uneasy peace in Indonesia. There is reported to have been a steady exchange of views between the Dutch Government and the State Department since Holland announced that negotiations with the Indonesian Republic had broken down.”