Laos Talks Halt “Encouraging”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29523, 26 May 1961, Page 13

Laos Talks Halt “Encouraging”

<W.Z PJI-Reuler—Copyngnt) GENEVA, May 25. The break in the Laos conference was seen by diplomatic observers in Geneva last night as an encouraging sign. After the delegations finished their opening statements in the week’s sessions, they found themselves without plans.on how to go ahead.

Instead of the conference then degenerating into propaganda attacks between East and West, delegates accepted the suggestion of the Soviet co-chairman to adjourn till Monday at the latest. In the meantime they will s’udy existing proposals and consider whether to prepare more proposals. With the conference thus going “underground.” delegates were expected to make back-stage contacts between now and Monday. Mr Malcolm Macdonald and Mr Georgi Pushkin, the British and Soviet co-chatr-men. will discuss today the future of the conference and the Thai request for two representatives of Rightwing Laotian political parties to be represented. Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia was "very pessimistic” about the chances of saving Laos from communism" the “Daily Telegraph” reported. ‘‘l believe th»re is one chance in a thousand: but we must try for it,” he said at Geneva. He thought agreement

about neutralising Laos would be reached but "that is not the end of the problem. It seems obvious to me that the Pathet Lao will eventually rule the country.” The only course now open to the United States and the West was to take the Communists at their word and to apply a neutralisation policy agreement “to the letter.” The only neutrality possible in Laos now was the Austrian variety, he said, which was willed and recognised by the Great Powers. Prince Sihanouk rejected outright any suggestion of partitioning Laos between the Communists and the West because “it would solve nothing.” He also rejected the idea of linking the whole or part of Laos to Cambodia. This would provoke the Communists and be too great an economic burden for Cambodia. The Prince was fundamentally pessimistic about the future of South-east Asia in general and Cambodia in particular, said the "Daily Telegraph.”