U.S. COMMENT ON TALKS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27407, 21 July 1954, Page 11

U.S. COMMENT ON TALKS

“West’s Desire For Coexistence” (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jtily 20. The “New York Times” said today that through the efforts of Mr Pierre Mendes-Fkance, Prime Minister of France, and the British Foreign Secretary. Mr Eden, no-one could question the Western desire for peace and “peaceful coexistence.” The newspaper said in a leading article that whatever the outcome of the Geneva negotiations on Indo-China, Mr Mendes-France had “already accomplished one good result.” “He has seized the peace initiative for France and for the West, and, aided by the mediating efforts of Mr Eden and the accommodating attitude of the United States, has ’gone so far in seeking an acceptable compromise that no-one can question the Western desire for peace and ‘peaceful coexistence’,” the “New York Times” said. The Washington “Post” said it remained “sceptical” that the Communists would agree to an Indo-China settlement at Geneva. One could never be sure about Soviet reasoning, the “Post” said. But there was no ostensible reason for the Soviet and Chinese Communists and the Vietminh io be reasonable. “The FrencM military position in. Vietnam continues to crumble,” the newspaper said. “Mr Molotov knows full well that the Vietminh probably could have all of Vietnam with relatively little additional effort.”