OUTER SPACE TALKS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29021, 9 October 1959, Page 13

OUTER SPACE TALKS

Soviet Proposal Welcomed

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) NEW YORK, October 7.

The United States and Britain today welcomed a Soviet proposal for an international scientific conference on outer space, virtually assuring that such a conference would take place. The Soviet Deputy-Foreign Minister (Mr Vasily Kuznetsov) disclosed the proposal in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. He said the Soviet Union would seek a conference under United Nations auspices as soon as possible. It would be along the lines of the United Nations conferences on peaceful uses of atomic energy—a plan advanced originally by President Eisenhower. “We welcome this new departure in Soviet policy and hope that it means co-operation in future work of the United Nations in the field of outei space,” the United States Ambassador (Mr Henry Cabot Lodge! said in a statement.

He said that the United States still supported strongly the establishment by the present assembly of a special United Nations space committee.

The Soviet Union boycotted a committee set up last year on the grounds that Communist and neutral nations did not have sufficient representation. Mr Kuznetsov said yesterday the Soviet stand was unchangedThe United States took the view that there was no conflict between the work of a United Nations outer space committee, which dealt with technical and legal aspects of outer space co-operation, and an international conferencein London, the British Foreign Office said it had no details on the Soviet proposal “but we very much welcome the Soviet intentions. Our policy is to encourage the fullest possible international exchange on these matters.” The Soviet Union was expected to press a formal proposal for an international conference of scientists when the Assembly turns to the general subject of outer space.