SECRET TALKS ON KOREA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27339, 3 May 1954, Page 9

SECRET TALKS ON KOREA

N.Z. And Australia Excluded fNZ " PreM Association-Copyright) ; (Rec. 9 p.m.) GENEVA, May 1. Developments at the Far East conference today ““ft* , *?° th NeW Zealand and Au S traHa X ns b nn the d ftl~ at lnitiaU >~ from direct negotiations on the future of Korea and Indo-China. ‘the this arra "Bement, which each considers to be in the best interests of the conference. (New U Ze^andY° a nd t M nal i> A^ Ministers » Mr T. C. Webb sought and asey (Australia), have each US d t !l e most firm assurances of “full co-opera-Eden d C ° nsultat,on from the British Foreign Secretary’ Mr Nnrth h a e nd i q<^h r J’ OWer K togetl ? er witl » Communist China and Wks . ( Z h f.,JT e i ; o ing ) WaS arran R ed unexpectedly during a recess until Monday 9 natl ° n conference whi Ph does not meet again Mr Eden and the United States Secretary of State (Mr Dulles) suggested today’s “get together” meeting and the Communist Powers and South Korea are reported to have agreed to it readily. T

'REQUEST BY FRANCE

Alliance Without Britain (Rec. 11 pjn.) NEW YORK. May 1. France is pressing the United States for a South-east Asian alliance without Britain, according to a dispatch in the "New York Times” from Washington. Although they realised their prospects were dim, the French did not accept as final the United States rejection of their appeal for intervention by United States aircraft and crews in the battle for Indo-China. The report in the “New York Times” quoting informed diplomatic sources said the French had taken this position because the Secretary of State, Mr Dulles, told them the United States could not move towards intervention in Indo-China until the alliance was set up, and because they regarded Britain as the chief obstacle to the swift formation of the alliance. United States sources explained that French attempts to secure United States intervention were continuing in the hopes that at the eleventh hour some way would be found to offset the inevitable psychological effect of the almost ine\dtable fall of Dien Bien Phu.

It was feared that the fall of the fortress would be the signal for the fall of the present French Government and the succeeding government would probably be committed to - obtain a settlement at any price.