De Gaulle Will Give Up Special Powers

Press, Volume C, Issue 29625, 22 September 1961, Page 11

De Gaulle Will Give Up Special Powers

(N Z. Preu Association-Copyright) PARIS, September 21. President de Gaulle, who announced last night that he will relinquish some of his emergency powers and return some of its former strength to Parliament at the end of this month, will start today on what could be one of the most dangerous of his provincial speaking tours.

The President, undeterred by the attempt to kill him only 13 days ago, is spending the next four days in parts of France’s “Cinderella” provinces—the Departments of Aveyrons, Lozere. and Ardeche. which are relatively poor in natural resources and sparsely populated. He is likely to meet with hostility from the farmers of the departments, who are not however, expected to go to violent lengths. But there is the threat of another attempt on his life by the ultra right-wing Sec ret Army Organisation (OA.S.). and exhaustive security measures are being taken. Internal Sitnation Last night. President de Gaulle showed confidence in the belief that he has the internal situation in hand by announcing that he intends to relinquish emergency ruling powers he has held since the generals' coup in Algiers last April. A communique published after a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace said President de Gaulle had decided to give up his emergency powers because: Order had been restored in Algeria and metropolitan France. The trials of the ringleaders of the Algiers revolt would have been completed by the end of this month.

The Cabinet said President de Gaulle expressed satisfaction that Parliament and the nation's public authorities had been able to function normally throughout the five months* period of his emergency powers. At the same time, in a conciliatory move to discontented French farmers, the Government announced a small increase in the nrice of milk Observers in Paris said tha* in addition to demonstrating the President’s ennedenee in the security situation, the dec*ei<vi showed he was readv to allow Parliament a wider ro’e from now on Recently. President de Gaulle has faced criticism trom several sides of Parliament where It was claimed Parliament, was being kept largely ineffective without du» cause. French farm leaders last night announced they would resume direct action throughout the count-y to back up their demands for better pri-es and conditions T*>e announcement was made by the administrative council of the French Farm Union a f, “r a study nf agricultural bills which the Government had tabled. La»t June and Julv. the farmers staved a month-long revolt during which they blocked roads and railways with their tractors, and, in several instances, clashed with the police.