CONFERENCE ON KOREA

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27213, 3 December 1953, Page 11

CONFERENCE ON KOREA

Soviet Proposal Attacked By U.S. (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) PANMUNJON, December 2. Mr Arthur Dean, the- chief Allied delegate at the talks on the Korean Political Conference, today accused the Communists of designing to allow Russia to dominate the conference. The preliminary talks on arrangements for the conference resumed after a day’s recess to consider a Communist proposal that the conference be held at New Delhi, with Russia attending as a non-voting neutral. Mr Dean said the Communist stand was unfortunate and unrealistic. “We could not and would not accept the Soviet as a neutral nation,” he said. Under the Communist plan, any nation, including neutral nations who did not even have a vote, could stall the voting indefinitely by voicing a different opinion. Mr Dean rejected the Communist proposal to limit the number of press correspondents covering the conference as totally unacceptable. The Allies had a free press which he could not control, Mr Dean said. His statements to the Communists today were “preliminary remarks” since there had not been time for all 17 nations interested to comment on the Communist proposal. The session lasted three hours and was the longest for more than a week. Mr Dean also said that the Political Conference should consider the position of prisoners of war if it met before January 22, and told the Communists: “Perhaps you see in this situation some propaganda motive for you to delay the conference by whatever pretext you can manufacture.” Although neither accepting nor rejecting Nev/ Delhi as the site for the conference, Mr Dean said he was delighted that the Communists had given up Panmunjon as the venue.