EDEN’S REPORT ON GENEVA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27369, 7 June 1954, Page 9

EDEN’S REPORT ON GENEVA

“Efforts To Be Continued”

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 5. . (Mr Eden) obtained the backing of the British Cabinet today to continue efforts at the Geneva conference to seek a negotiated settlement of the Indo-China problem. Mr Eden, who flew back to London last night from the Geneva conference, presented to his Cabinet colleagues a grave report on the proceedings there. During his last visit to Britain a fortnight ago Mr Eden told the Cabinet he expected the Geneva talks to reach their decisive stage in the next week or two. This has not happened and although the conference is now debating practical matters connected with the cease Are there is no sign of the deadlock on deeper matters being broken. In spite of this, Mr Eden, it is understood, has not called for a complete reappraisal of British policy. He has not yet despaired of the outcome of the Indo-China talks and he believes that more time should be allowed before they are written off as a failure.

Mr Eden talked privately with the Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, both before this morning’s meeting of the Cabinet, and later when he lunched with the Prime Minister at No. 10 Downing Street. Mr Eden is expected to return to Geneva in time to take part in Tuesday s open session of the conference. A Geneva message says that the nine nations seeking an Indo-China peace settlement at Geneva announced on Saturday that they would come out of secret session for the next meeting—the plenary session on Tuesday. They made no particular progress in a three hour ana a half argument today, the twelfth secret session, but the atmosphere was better than at the last three sessions, delegates reported. The, only delegate to say anything new in the wrangle—about the proposed neutral supervisory commission —was the Cambodian Foreign Minister (Mib Tdp Phan), who suggested that they should choose three countries from India, Pakistan, Burma* the Philippines, Japan, Italy, and Canada.