NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25767, 31 March 1949, Page 5

NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY

Portugal’s Position SPANISH TALKS ENDED (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, March 30. Spain and Portugal have completed 10 days’ negotiations which permit Portugal to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the negotiations, which ■were “designed to establish harmony between the stipulations of the Atlantic Pact and the Iberian bloc,” had been completed on Monday. Diplomatic sources in Madrid said that the Iberian bloc would thus become the kingpin of Spanish foreign policy, because Spaniards believed that it linked them indirectly with the Atlantic Treaty. Count Sforza, the Italian Foreign Minister, conferred to-day with the United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) on the Atlantic Treaty and the future of Italy’s former African colonies. Count Sforza summed up his Government’s view on the colonies by saying: “We do not believe in colonies, but we believe in the interest of Africa.” Italy has contended that the best Interests of colonial African populations would be served by placing them (Under a United Nations trusteeship, iwith Italy as the Administrator. Demonstrators in the Norwegian Parliament showered leaflets on the beads of members who were debating whether Norway should enter the Atlantic Treaty, and lowered banners from the public gallery denouncing the pact. After the demonstration at the opening of this debate, the public gallery was cleared. It was reopened a little later, but members of the public were required to give their name and address before being admitted. Parliament by 130 votes to 13 agreed to Norway’s adherence to the pact. The contrary votes comprised two Labour members and 11 Communists. General de Gaulle said in Paris that he welcomed the Atlantic Treaty, but he thought it was a serious historical, geographical, and strategic error to make London the centre of European military planning. Paris was the centre of Europe, and, whatever happened, the people who were called on to fight m large numbers on the Rhine or the Elbe in any war were “inevitably the French.” He demanded the immediate shipment of American arms to back up the fact and guarantee French security.