CONFERENCE OF BIG FOUR

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27679, 8 June 1955, Page 13

CONFERENCE OF BIG FOUR

Geneva Probable Site

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) I.ONDON, June 7. It was thought unlikely that Russia would raise any objections to the Western proposal that the heads of government talks should be held at Geneva from July 18 to July 21, the diplomatic correspondent of “The Times” said today. Britain, the United States and France handed similar Notes to the Soviet Government proposing Geneva as the site. Russia had rejected the earlier Western proposal of Lausanne and had suggested Vienna. The Notes delivered yesterday said the Western Powers had suggested Geneva “in the light of divergent views..” The correspondent said that Geneva was the scene of the Indo-China cease-fire negotiations which Russia herself had praised so highly in recent declarations and broadcasts. The Western Note made no mention of the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, which is expected to be held a few days before July 18, also at Geneva. This was because it was thought advisable to secure agreement on the “summit” talks first.

French diplomatic reports from Moscow predict that the Russians will agree to Geneva as. the site. Diplomatic sources in Paris said the speed with which the "new look” in Soviet diplomacy was being put into effect indicated that the Russian leaders wanted to waste no time getting round a conference table with the West.

The text of the Western Note is as follows: “The Governments of France, the United Kingdom and the United States refer to their Notes of May 10 addressed to the Soviet Government proposing an early meeting of the four heads of Governments. They recall that during their informal conversations in Vienna on May 14 and 15, the four Foreign Ministers agreed upon the desirability of such a meeting and the three Governments are pleased to find this view affirmed in the Note of May 26 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the U.S.S.R.

“With respect to the place for the meeting of the four heads of Government. it will be recalled that at Vienna' the Foreign Ministers of the three Governments suggested Lausanne, whereas the Soviet Foreign Minister suggested Vienna, and the Soviet Government confirmed this suggestion in its Note of May 26. “In the light of the divergent views with respect to where the meeting might be held, the Governments bf France, the United Kingdom and the United States now propose that the four heads of government meet at Geneva.

“The three governments accordingly propose that the four heads of government meet in Geneva from July 18 to July 21 inclusive. An early reply would be very much appreciated in order to permit the necessary arrangements to be made with the Government of S itzerland, which has informed th three Governments that the holding of such, a meeting in Geneva on the dates set forth above is agreeable.” No Prior Meeting Called The. Note did not formally propose a prior meeting of the Foreign Ministers as expected earlier. A Foreign Office spokesman said tonight that the three Western Foreign Ministers have decided to discuss the arrangements for this preparatory conference with Mr Molotov when they meet him in San Francisco later this month. All four will be present at San Francisco to attend the tenth anniversary celebrations of the United Nations. The Western Big Three Foreign Ministers will meet in New York on June ”3 to prepare for a later conference with Mr Molotov, reports a message from Washington. In announcing the session, the State Department teaid that the United States Secretary of State (Mr Dulles) will confer for two days with the British Foreign Secretary (Mr Macmillan), and the French Foreign Minister (Mr Pinay). Mr Dulles proposed the meeting, the State Department said, to “discuss matters of mutual interest.”

In Columbia, South Carolina, Mr Dulles said today that he doubted whether the summit meeting would immediately relax international tensions. He hoped, however, that the meeting would “servp to identify the present causes of tension and set a course which may lead to eliminating threats to peace and freedom.”