POLICY AT GENEVA

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 15

POLICY AT GENEVA

Khrushchev’s Aim

(Rec. 8 p.m.) BONN, May 5. If and when Russia signed a separate peace treaty with East Germany, Western rights in West Berlin would come to an end. Mr Khrushchev told a group of West German Socialist editors today.

According to British United Press, Mr Khrushchev told the Germans that he would sign such a separate peace treaty if the Western Powers refused to agree to a peace treaty. Mr Khrushchev told the Socialists, they reported, that he could see no connexion between the question of a German peace treaty and that of European security. “Does one try to pressure us?” Mr Khrushchev was reported to have asked. He answered his own question: “We’re too grown up for that.” “No Unilateral Measures” The editors asked Mr Khrushchev if he would stand by his statement in Leipzig recently that the Russians would take no unilateral measures in the Berlin question during negotiations with the Western Powers, even if such negotiation dragged on for some time. “Yes.” Mr Khrushchev replied. “I stick to what I said at Leipzig. But I wish to call your attention to the fact that not just Berlin alone is involved. We also raised the question of the peace treaty, and the Berlin question is just one matter. “Therefore, we will attempt to conclude a peace treaty under the present conditions—probably with both German States. “If our former allies should not wish to do this, then we must assume that the Western Powers already have unilaterally settled all questions that might arise in a peace treaty with Bonn. Then we will settle all these questions with the (East) Germany Democratic Republic, and sign a separate peace treaty with it.” Mr Khrushchev continued: “If it comes to that, then the functions the Western Powers have in West Berlin will have ended. By the same token, their right to station troops in West Berlin will have come to an end.” ‘Transitional Period” But Mr Khrushchev added: “We are willing to consider the prestige needs of our former allies, and declare ourselves therefore willing to accept a transitional period during which symbolic troop (units) of all four Powers would remain in West Berlin.” The Russians. Mr Khrushchev said, were willing to agree to arms limitations or to the withdrawal of all foreign troops from both West and East Germany.

Talk of the summit conference being held in San Francisco rather than at Geneva was “more than Chamber of Commerce gossip in California,” Reston said. Some Washington officials thought well of the idea. It would be more convenient for President Eisenhower and might help revive “the co-opera-tive spirit that attended the formation of the United Nations in that city in 1945.” The Soviet exposition in New York has been arranged with the United States Government, which is due to open its own exhibition in Moscow on July 25. The United States Vice-Presi-dent, Mr Richard Nixon, will open the Moscow exhibition, which will be entitled “A Corner of America.”

Reston wrote: “When the Administration agreed to send the Vice-President to the Soviet capital, officials here took into account the possibility that Mr Khrushchev might want to go to New York.

“No such invitation has been extended or requested, but it is being discussed by officials in the Administration.”

Referring to a possible summit meeting, he said it would be wrong to assume that it would inevitably be in Geneva.

The British Foreign Secretary (Mr Selwyn Lloyd) had discussed with Mr Christian Herter, the United States Secretary of State, the possibility of holding a summit meeting on a ship or, alternatively in San Francisco.

Mr Khrushchev had indicated that he would agree to San Francisco as a venue if the other heads of Government wanted the meeting there, Reston added.