NEW TALKS ON BERLIN CRISIS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29588, 10 August 1961, Page 13

NEW TALKS ON BERLIN CRISIS

Reaction To Speech By Khrushchev <NJS.p.A.-n*ut«r—copanohs/ LONDON, August 9. Western statesmen are moving into a round of talks on the Berlin crisis as a result of the tough line taken by the Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) in his broadcast to the Russian nation.

. The American Secretary of State (Mr Dean Rusk) is due m Rome today to confer with the Italian Prime Minister (Professor Fanfani) and his Foreign Minister (Professor Segni) on their meeting with Mr Khrushchev in Moscow last week.

Later today Mr Rusk will fly to Milan for a meeting tomorrow with the West German Chancellor (Dr Adaoauar) who is on-holiday at Chdenabbia. on Lake Como. The West German Foreign Minister (Dr. Heinrich von Brentano) to already with Dr. Adenauer. The London "Dally Telegraph" reported today that the British Foreign Secretary (Lord Home) drove straight from Gatwick Airport to the home of the Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) yesterday to report on the week-end Foreign Ministers' conference in Paris. Lord Home, speaking to reporters before leaving for London, said: “So far in all our contacts with the Russians they ' have only been ready, to negotiate on how Western rights can be handed over completely to the G.D R. (East Germany) and secondly how they may be whittled down. "It is really no good looking upon the word negotiations as an incantation that can „ bo reneated and will solve everything. “If, from the start, there is no real hope of getting an agreement, in this case negotiations are worse than no negotiations at all. ‘Therefore this problem wants looking at extremelv carefully, to see whether it is profitable to get into negotiations, and if so. when. "And now I say again that the next few weeks ought to be taken up with the quiet process of diplomacy so that we may judge whether negotiations are possible and whether there is the basis for a meeting at some future time." N.A.T.O. Council Reuter said that in Paris yesterday. Mr Rusk reported to the 15-nation NATO council on measures decided on at the Foreign Ministers' meeting to meet a Soviet challenge over Berlin. At a two-hour secret meeting. the council gave broad approval to the plans and decided to intensify its consultations “in view of the seriousness of the situation ” A communique reiterated:— Th* West’s conviction that a peaceful and fust solution for the problems of Germany. including Berlin, Is to be found only on the basis of self-determina-tion. Western determination to maintain the freedom of West Berlin and its people. The Western 1958 declaration that the “renunciation by the Soviet Union of the inter-Allled agreements on Berlin etn in no way deprive the other parties of their rights, or relieve the Soviet Union of its obligations.” Reuter reported that observers Mid the plans to meet the Soviet challenge on Berlin approved by the Council yesterday involved arrange-

ments for strengthening the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ’* conventional military forces in Europe. The military measures decided upon were, of courae. not being published. But officials said the aim underlying them was to bring the NATO conventional armies tn the West to th* point where they could confidently face the conventional farces th* Russians could effectively deploy on their Western borders In Europa. British newspapers this morning revealed a troubled mood over the Berlin crisis. The. “Guardian' said there was a danger that the Communist Powers might hot wait until the West was ready with a counter-proposal. “It is deplorable that the West should find It necessary to defer any serious response to Mr Khrushchev’s bid until after the West German elections—unless it can be deduced from this that Dr. Adenauer will, if returned to power, be less inflexible after September 17 than he can afford to be now,” the “Guardian” said. “No Choice” “But if that is what has been decided, then the Western Powers have no choice but to remain inscrutable for another six weeks. "That resolve In itself creates a new problem. There is the major long-term risk that, after the German elections. Mr Khrushchev might reject any proposals made by the West and attempt to put his own into effect by force. "It is with an eye to that possibility that the United States is strengthening its reserves end that Mr Khrushchev considers reinforcing his frontiers ” The "Dally Mirror" said: “Lord Home (the British

Foreign Secretary) should stop talking light-heartedly about ’a political gam* of poker'—as he did yesterday—and start acting to end the hidepus risk of war. "He must urge that the West should Seize the initiative and propose a time and place for talks with Russia without delay." The “Daily Express" commented: "Lord Home says that Mr Khrushchev is playing political poker and. in these circumstances, we ought" not to show our band. “Nobody wants Lord Home to show his hand. All that is asked is that he should sit down and play the cards." The "Daily Worker" (Communist) said that the Prime Minister, Mr Macmillan, must be compelled to accept the Soviet proposals on Berlin as a basis for dteouasion and to Mt down at the conference table without any more delay. The "Scotsman" commented: “Public statements tend to make positions mor* rigid than perhaps they need be. The danger Is that when negotiations do begin, both sides will find themselves unable to make any move at ail" West German stocks advanced on a broad front yesterday, reflecting optimism in the wake of Mr Khrushchev's television offer to negotiate on the Berlin problem, the Associated Press reported. The agency reported from Bonn that Dr. Adenauer’s ruling Christian Democratic Party said Mr Khrushchev’s television speech showed the latest Soviet space success had gone to his head and made him under-rate the peril to his own country in the present world crisis.