AGREEMENT ON THE SAAR

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27593, 25 February 1955, Page 11

AGREEMENT ON THE SAAR

Adenauer Faces Opposition (N.Z. Press Association—<2omirt9ht) (Rec. 8.30 pjn.) BONN, February 23. The West German Chancellor (Dr. Adenauer) faced a sudden Cabinet crisis tonight, on the eve of the final debate on the Paris treaties, in the Bundestag, (Lower Housed The crisis arose' when four Free Democratic Party Ministers told Dr. Adenauer they would vote against the French and German agreement on the Saar—in defiance of Dr. Adenauer’s warning earlier today that the Ministers must “take the consequences” if they did not vote for his Saar policy. The Saar Agreement is the only one of the Paris Agreements—which give West Germany sovereignty and the right to rearm—on which Dr. Adenauer’s majority is not expected to be large. A Free Democrat Party executive

member said tonight that he did not think Dr. Adenauer would call for the resignation of the four Ministers, but many Christian Democrats were reported to be urging the Chancellor to let the Free Democrats leave the four-party Government coalition. Even with the united votes of Free Democrats and other “Saar Rebels” among his supporters pitted against him, Dr. Adenauer can count on a majority of 10 to 15 in the Bundestag, which has 487 members. The opposition party, the Social Democrats, today tabled an amendment to the Paris Treaties, the day before the final debate, calling for new East-West talks before the treaties are ratified. The amendment said West German entry into the Western defence organisations should not take effect until a week after the Lower House had recorded in a formal resolution the failure of new Four-Power negotiations on German unity. Bonn police will be on the alert for Communist demonstrations tomorrow morning. For several weeks Communist newspapers have called on opponents of rearmament to come to Bonn to protest to their members of Parliament. A police official said tonight: “We