LIFTING OF BLOCKADE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28618, 21 June 1958, Page 13

LIFTING OF BLOCKADE

Tench Troops In Tunisia f. 9 p.m.) TUNIS, June 20. inisia will today lift the four-ths-old blockade of French )s imposed at the height of French and Tunisian crisis h followed the French >ing of a village on the borvith Algeria. meh sources in Tunis said light that the withdrawal of of the 22,000 French troops imisia, announced on Tueswould start with the garriit Remada as soon as the ades were lifted. remaining 15,000 French > will stay in Bizerta navalise, for which the two counwill negotiate a provisional President, Mr Habib Boursaid in his weekly broadyesterday there was no ■ any reason why the blockf French military encampin Tunisia should not be immediately. a few roadblocks would rein place—“not out of disbut out of prudence.” remaining blocks, he said, be kept to facilitate the rient of the French troops < re evacuating. ; nwhile ,Moroccan and Tu- ; Ministers and Algerian in- s t leaders were resuming i our-day conference in Tunis to discuss the establishment ; consultative assembly of ! African Arab countries. < i internal differences appar- 1 healing at the conference c tension throughout Tunisia i xing. I c

development tlie ay s outstant ii n g The Russian 3 abruptly broke off diplomatic negotiations with ■Britain on a cultural agreement. The talks were initiated by Moscow earlier this , Soviet newspapers warned that volunteers” from Arab States and “other friendly nations” would join the Lebanese rebels if the United States and Britain sent troops to reinforce the pro-Western Government forces. The Communist Party newspaper, “Pravda,” likened the situation to that on the eve of the Suez campaign. The Soviet Government warned Japan not to permit United States nuclear weapons to be stationed on Japanese soil. It referred to the “danger inherent” in the establishment of United States nuclear bases in Japan. United States officials met for the fourth time East German authorities in the fruitless attempts to negotiate the release of nine American Army men held since their helicopter made a forced landing behind the Iron Curtain 12 days ago. The United States tonight called on Russia to live up to the post-war Big Four agree- < ments and free the imprisoned men. i Reports from Warsaw said Mr 1 Molotov had been recalled 1 from his post as Ambassador 1 to Outer Mongolia and was being held under surveillance I in Moscow. Mr Molotov was I dismissed from his Govern- i ment and party posts last year I for “anti-party activities” c and banished to the Asiatic r Soviet Republic. 1

Diplomatic sources said the moves all added up to a hardening of Kremlin policy toward the West as well as toward the “heretic” Marshal Tito.

The sources speculated that the Russians were seeking to exploit world attention on Lebanon to cover up some move against Marshal Tito, who has adamantly refused to toe the Kremlin line.