TALKS ON ARMS CONTROL

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27917, 14 March 1956, Page 13

TALKS ON ARMS CONTROL

New British-French Plan

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, March 13. Britain and the United States today began talks on a new Western drive to get agreement with Russia on the hydrogen bomb and other world disarmament problems. The talks began after the announcement by lh ® French Prime Minister (Mr Guy Mollet) of a new British-French d '. sarTna ™'*" t plan agreed to at his week-end talks with Sir An * h .?" y The plan, he believed, would have the support of the I mted States. Moscow Radio, commenting on the announcement, mH >t was clear that the French aim to overcome the deadlock in the disarmament discussions would help to bring about a rapprochement between differing views. Todav Mr Harold Stassen, special disarmament advi ser President Eisenhower, conferred with Mr Anthony Nutting, the British Minister of State at the Foreign Office. a r "'*" Western consultations before the forthcoming East-M est disarm ament negotiations.

Britain. France, the United States and Canada will meet Russia at the negotiating table in London on Monday as members of the United Nations Disarmament Commission’s sub-com-mittee in a fresh bid to break the 10-vear-old deadlock. ‘ Mr Mollet. who has returned to Paris after his talks with Sir Anthony jpglK said that the joint disarmament Kufllto be completed in a few days. of the will for peace of and Britain. that Sir Anthony Eden had supported” the plan, which by Mr Jules Moch ||gML representative on the United Disarmament Sub-committee). account of all suggestions far both by the West and told a press conference relations were to questions on Middle such as the Bagdad tension. Cyprus, and African rebellion, indicated Government has _ yet towards a common view-British-backed Bagdad Pact said that France maintains HnS^^Evations —in other words, that not join it. U.S. Views of Talks officials welcomed issued at the end of between Mr Mollet and Sir Eden, as a timely reafflrmaWestern solidarity. MBed States officials have become concerned by the rapid drift HJHrds large-scale conflict in the Middle East, and the general feeling is that firm co-operation between France, Britain and the United States may be the only basis from which to retrieve the situation. State Department authorities particularly applauded a part of the joint communique in which the leaders of the French and British Governments “reaffirmed their attachment to the Atlantic alliance and their intention to maintain and reinforce the common front of the free nations.’’ This declaration, it was felt in Washington, would do much to clarify statements ’by the French Foreign Minister (Mr Christian Pineau) when he said he was in “profound disagreement” with certain aspects of Western policy on relations with the Soviet Union and its allies.