TREATY FOR AUSTRIA

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27051, 28 May 1953, Page 9

TREATY FOR AUSTRIA

West’s Reply To Soviet LONDON, May 26. The three Western deputies for the Austrian State Treaty tonight challenged the Soviet view that the deputies’ conference could not take place unless each session was specifically convened by the four-Power Council of the Foreign Ministers. The deputies of Britain, France, and the United States, after a meeting in London lasting all day, replied by letter to the communication sent to them yesterday by the Soviet Ambassador to Britain (Mr Jacob Malik). This refused, on behalf of the Soviet Government, the Western invitation to attend a further session of the fourPower deputies’ conference on the Austrian Treaty convened by the British chairman (Mr Geoffrey Harrison, of the Foreign Office) for tomorrow. The Western deputies also rejected the Soviet view that the meeting called for tomorrow was unlikely to result in the conclusion of a treaty for Austria.

“Unwarranted Assumption”

The Western letter to Mr Malik tonight said: “The three deputies consider unwarranted the assumption by the Soviet deputy that the proposed meeting would not lead to the conclusion of an Austrian treaty.” The Western deputies said that “all but a few of their previous 260 meetings were called without specific instructions from the Council of Foreign Ministers.” At the last meeting of the deputies on February 9, the Soviet deputy agreed to an adjournment with the understanding that the next meeting would be called by the British chairman at an early date. The Western letter said that at the February meeting of the deputies’ conference the Western delegations made it perfectly clear that they were prepared to accept any treaty, in terms which would ensure Austria’s political and economic independence. Emphasising that the Western deputies were convinced that with Soviet goodwill it would still be possible to conclude such a treaty, the letter ended by stating: “The three deputies deeply regret the refusal of the Soviet deputy to attend the meeting, and are reporting the position to their respective governments.”

Presidency of Philippines^—General Carlos Romulo, the former Philippines Ambassador to the United States, who walked out of the Liberal Party convention, announced today that he would contest the Presidential election as the candidate of the newly farmed third party—the Liberal Democratic Party.—Manila, May 26.