Accent On Disarmament At Four-Power Talks

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27675, 3 June 1955, Page 13

Accent On Disarmament At Four-Power Talks

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, June 2. Discussions on disarmament, and the consequent limitation of British bases in foreign countries, and withdrawal of troops from Germany will play a big part in the forthcoming Four-Power talks, reports the diplomatic correspondent of “The Times.” He says that the feeling in London is that neither the Western Powers nor Russia has, for the moment at least, any aggressive intent and that, therefore, some measure of disarmament should eventually be agreed on. “Consideration of the latest Soviet disarmament proposals put before the sub-committee of the United Nations disarmament commission on May 10 has confirmed first impressions that the outlook for disarmament has much improved.”

“Broadly, the Soviet plan, which is' largely an acceptance of the previous Western ideas, proposes all-round reduction of conventional armaments to agreed levels, prohibition of production and use of weapons of mass destruction and single international organ of control.

“With none of this in principle will there be disagreement, but there are several points on which Soviet proposals will require elucidation and negotiation.

“In particular the powers proposed for the all-important control organ are in places obscure. “Under the Soviet proposals international officials will be allowed behind the Iron Curtain as soon as the disarmament process begins, but apparently their task will be to give warning of any sudden concentration of troops and there will be no effective check that armaments are actually being reduced. “Nor does the Soviet plan make it clear that the control organ’s officials must move into position before disarmament begins, and it does not give them clear and full discretion to go wherever they wish. “The proposals are presented as part of an over-all plan for ‘reduction of tension’ which includes the elimination of military bases in foreign countries.

“The Western Powers clearly could not agree to this as presented although it is recognised that the new over-all plan, linking as it does so many different issues, is in some ways more hopeful than the previous Soviet demands for the elimination of bases alone.”