OPTIMISM OVER NEW GUINEA

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29713, 5 January 1962, Page 9

OPTIMISM OVER NEW GUINEA

Peaceful Solution Seems Closer

(JIZ Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 4. There was guarded optimism in United States official circles last night that Indonesia and Holland might find a peaceful solution to their dispute over Dutch West New Guinea. The Associated Press, who reported this today, said the situation appeared closer to agreement than at any other time in recent weeks.

Indonesia is demanding that the Dutch turn over at least administrative control of the vast territory just north of Australia.

The Dutch Ambassador (Mr J H. van Roijen) made an unscheduled call on the United States Secretary of State (Mr Dean Rusk) yesterday. Also present at the meeting were three United States Assistant Secretaries of State—Mr Averell Harriman <in charge of Far Eastern Affairs), Mr Harlan Cleveland (United Nations Affairs) and Mr William Tyler (European Affairs).

After the 30-minute meeting. Mr van Roijen, who is noted for weighing his words, told reporters: “I would not be a good diplomat if I were not moderately optimistic. Some progress has been made toward talks and negotiations.”

This was interpreted to mean Mr Rusk and his aides had passed on information that would warrant the statement progress was being made, Associated Press said. Officials Hopeful

United States officials described the situation as fluid but said they were hopeful. ‘•How close Indonesia and the Netherlands may be to negotiations could only be conjectured. The situation appeared closer to agreement than at any time in recent weeks,” Associated Press said

Officials would not comment on reports that Indonesia would drop its claim to

sovereignty over New Guinea if Holland agreed to hand over administration to Djakarta authorities. United States officials said both the Australian and American ambassadors in Djakarta were in close touch with the Indonesian Foreign Minister (Dr. Subandrio). “A lot of talk is going on,” they said.

Dutch United Nations delegation sources reported yesterday that Holland had no plans at present to submit the bitter dispute to the United Nations Security Council. No action was taken last year when the issue came before the United Nations General Assembly.

The sources said while the Australian and Dutch United Nations delegations were remaining in close touch over New Guinea developments, there appeared little chance of Holland raising it in the organisation until the Dutch Government had decided on its policy. The United States has been making efforts to bring the Indonesians and the Dutch together for discussions of a peaceful solution to the dispute.

The presence of Mr Cleveland in the discussions resulted in speculation that the United States might be trying to bring the two disputing governments into some contact through United Nations auspices. United Press International reported. Decision in The Hague

A majority in the Dutch Parliament yesterday supported the Government in dropping self-determination for the Papuans as a precondition for talks with Indonesia. The Government’s advocacy of talks under neutral chairmanship was also approved. Reuter reported from Djakarta that President Soekarno is flying to Macassar, capital of the South Celebes, today for a fourday visit. The Indonesian leader, who yesterday proclaimed the Dutch-adminie-tered territory an Indonesian province under the name of Irian Barat (“West Irian”), has a party of 63 persons with him. It includes the Soviet cosmonaut, Major Gherman Titov, who said on arrival in Djakarta yesterday for a two-week visit, that the Soviet people supported the Indonesian attempt to wres‘ West New Guinea from the Dutch Dr. Soekarno has already called on his troops to stand by to “liberate” the territory, and the Government is preparing to mobilise all its aircraft. The Associated Press reported from Djakarta that an Indonesian arms build-up on the borders of Dutch-occu-pied West New Guinea continued today. The Indonesian Army announced that 10.0(H) veterans of the war of independence against the Dutch were being rearmed in the Moluccas and Ambon, which lie on the New Guinea border. The military commander of the area. Colonel Busjiri, declared action was being taken “in anticipation of action for the liberation of the Dutch-occupied Indonesian territory of West Irian.” Colonel Busjiri said the rearming of veterans and their assignment into combat units constitutes “preliminary steps before the march forward to stop the Dutchcreated Papuan state from operating and to hoist Indonesia's red and white flag in the territory.” Colonel Busjiri told reporters his men “are impatiently expecting an order to storm Dutch positions on West Irian proper. This is the logical consequence of the national revolution." The rearming of veterans came after the creation of a theatre command on the New

Guinea borders by President Soekarno last Sunday and his call to prepare for general mobilisation over New Guinea. In Britain, the ‘Guardian’ said today that the question over West New Guinea was no longer whether the Dutch would hand over the administration of the territory, but whether the Indonesians would insist on a military attack beforehand.

‘‘The Indonesian Foreign Minister (Dr. Subandrio) yesterday expressed himself dissatisfied with the offer of tlie Netherlands Prime Minister to negotiate without preliminary conditions." the “Guardian” said.

“This indifference may be due to his confidence that his Government has the Dutch on the run and can afford to wait for unconditional acknowledgement of Indonesian sovereignty. “Unfortunately, it may also mean that his Government insists on a field day for its armed forces. “Now that the Dutch have been brought so far. a war over New Guinea would be much more unjustifiable than the Indians’ action against the Portuguese, who had conceded nothing.” the newspaper said. The “Scotsman" said the Dutch had begun to rush the Papuans towards an early independence, Reuter reported. The pace of the effort obviously owed more to the Indonesian threat than to any realistic appraisal of how long it would take tribesmen at a stone age level of culture to shoulder true political responsibility for themselves in the modern world.

“Such willingness to risk a repetition of Belgium’s Congo mistake suggest that perhaps the Dutch are not being quite sincere on this point. Perhaps they have in mind some facade of independence under which they could continue to rule," the “Scotsman” said.