West May Put Case To U.N. Commission

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29245, 1 July 1960, Page 11

West May Put Case To U.N. Commission

WASHINGTON, June 29. The State Department called on the Soviet Union today to reconsider its “irresponsible action” by walking out of the East-West disarmament talks in Geneva this week.

The department also disclosed that the Western members of the Geneva disarmament committee were considering bringing the question before the 82nation United Nations Disarmament Commission next week. Usually reliable sources told Reuter that discussions were being held in z Geneva and Washington and a formal request for a commission meeting probably ’would be put in within a day or two. Britain, the United States. France, Canada and Italy are the Western members of the Geneva committee of 10. The Soviet Union already has proposed that the General Assembly debate disarmament again at its regular session, which is due to begin on September 20 But Western sources said today there were "obvious advantages” to the West ’n raising the matter in the commission before the Assembly meets. It was -thought likely that a resolution might be brought in which would call on the Russians to resume the Geneva discussions A series of commission meetings also would give the United States an opportunity to present new proposals which Mr Frederick Eaton, its delegate at Geneva, had planned to put forward there The record of the abortive Geneva talks is expected to be released within days, so that the 82 member States may go to the commission fully briefed on the history of the negotiations. Once the debate got under way it was thought likely it would last for weeks, as it was pre-

si-med that most of the members would want to make long statements of position. The commission, which was expanded in 1958 into a body composed of all of the United Nations members to meet Soviet objections that it had previously been weightedvin favour 'of the West, has not met since last September.