WEST APPROVES MEETING

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27047, 23 May 1953, Page 7

WEST APPROVES MEETING

Comment In Foreign Capitals (Bee. 7 p.m.) LONDON. May 21. Foreign reaction to the announcement of the three-Power talks was wholly favourable. Among the comment in world capitals was: WASHINGTON: Members of Congress received the announcement with general approval. Many of them saw in it an opportunity for the Western Powers to iron out differences among themselves before attempting any approach to Mr Malenkov. Senator William Knowland. chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the Senate, said: fit would be a fatal mistake to go into a fourPower meeting with a wide divergence of opinion among the Allies about Korea and other unsettled problems, because the Communist technique is aimed at dividing the Allies.” PARIS: Diplomatic quarters said the key aims of the Bermuda meeting would unify democratic nations towards the Soviet peace offensive, but ft was unfortunate that the announcement should coincide with the French Government crisis. ■BRUSSELS: A Belgian Government spokesman said the meeting could bring only advantages in the international sphere. THE HAGUE: Holland considered it very important that the Big Three should reach a common standpoint on relations with the Soviet bloc, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. He said the Dutch felt that the other Western countries should be consulted through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or other means where the talks concerned special issues affecting their interests. WEST BERLIN: The Mayor (Professor Ernst Reuter) said: “The Bermuda conference is a stop in the right direction, no matter what the concrete outcome.” CANBERRA.— The Minister of External Affairs (Mr R. G. Casey) today welcomed the announcement of the proposed Big Power meeting in Bermuda. "The Australian Government believes it essential for the United States and the British Commonwealth to maintain unity on main issues in all areas of the world. It is essential that there should be a community of views with France, which is a key member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and which is carrying in IndoChina a heavy burden in the struggle against communism in South.-east Asia. “The Australian attitude on matters which might arise at the Bermuda conference is being kept before those concerned and will be discussed at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference in London.”