VIETNAM’S TERMS FOR TRUCE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27404, 17 July 1954, Page 7

VIETNAM’S TERMS FOR TRUCE

Note Delivered To Mr Dulles GENEVA, July 15. Vietnam, the largest of the three Indo-China States, has sent a Note to the United States setting out the conditions under which it would agree to an Indo-China peace settlement, an authoritative source said today. The Note was delivered to Mr Dulles, the United States Secretary of State, at Paris last evening, before he flew back to Washington after the Big Three Western meetings. It was handed over by Mr Tran van Chuong, Minister of State for Vietnam, who is due to go to Washington himself in the next few days. The Note emphasised that Vietnam, the main battleground in the IndoChina fighting, wanted to be completely independent of France before entering the French Union as a full and equal member. A treaty between Vietnam and France giving Vietnam full independence and associating her as an equal with France inNhe French Union, was initialled last May by the former Vietnam Premier, Mr Buu Loe, and the former French Prime Minister, Mr Joseph Daniel. But is has not yet been formally signed by President Coty, of France, and Bao Dai, head of the Vietnam State. The meeting between Mr Dulles and Mr Chuong lasted for 45 minutes and was described at Geneva as having been “most cordial.”