DISARMAMENTS TALKS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29177, 11 April 1960, Page 7

DISARMAMENTS TALKS

possible Transfer To The Summit (jAP™ Association—Copyright) GENEVA. April 9. The East-West disarmament eonference yesterday abandoned -11 serious hope of concluding w « “meaningful agreement” before next month’s summit meeting in Paris. American Associated press reports. The negotiations entered a Stage of unreality which drew flippant comment from both sides, •he news agency said. They s howed that all expectation of (mick progress towards a world treaty for ending the arms race has been put aside for the time keifig. The two sides were apparently jeeking only a digified formula for turning the whole problem over to the Big Four Heads of government without even having agreed on how to begin discussing world disarmament. Western officials said they were convinced that the Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister (Mr Valerian Zorin) came to the conference with instructions to heep the negotiations locked in a stalemate until the summit, the news agency said. The United States Secretary of State (Mr Christian Herter) told a newspaper conference today that there were indications that the Soviet Union would like a six-week recess in the negotiations, according to a Washington cablegram. Mr Herter said the situation w as puzzling and he did not know whether the Soviet suggestion had been made with the idea that the Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) might tome up with something at the summit meeting. Mr Herter said the United States was perfectly willing to take a brief recess in the talks but saw no reason for a long adjournment Mr Herter said that the Soviet suggestion for a six-week recess had been made in informal discussions. It would cover the period of the summit meeting and would last until June.