U.N. Intervention In New Guinea Urged

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29791, 6 April 1962, Page 11

U.N. Intervention In New Guinea Urged

(NJZ. Press Assn.—Copyright) NEW YORK April 5. The “New York Times” suggested today that the United Nations should “step in and assume responsibility for West New Guinea before it is too late.”

The newspaper, in an edirial headed "Soekarno on

the Warpath,” said the West New Guinea dispute threatened to erupt into a full-scale colonial war that might also involve Australia. "The situation must not be allowed to degenerate into a full-fledged war.” the editorial said. The editorial said: "Ln the face of President Kennedy’s appeal to return to the conference table. President Soekarno is continuing to increase guerrilla inflitration into Netherlands New Guinea.

‘ He professes willingness to negotiate, but only on arrangement for Dutch surrender of the territory to him.

“The Dutch, in turn, are sending reinforcements and the dispute threatens to errupt into a full-scale colonial war that might also

involve Australia, which administers the eastern half of the huge island of New’ Guinea. Yesterday the Dutch Prime Minister (Professor Jan de Quay) appealed to the nation to remain calm under what he described as ‘‘psychological warfare” by Indonesia.

He told a tense Lower House that the dispatch of reinforcements to New Guinea, which he described as “modest,” was purely defensive.

The most important thing for the Government was to protect the lives and property of Dutch subjects

It was also felt that a certain “preventive effect” would be exercised by the dispatch of reinforcements which would rather help a resumption of the talks with Indonesia than hinder them. “The door is still open.” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the dispatch of reinforcements was further justified by Indonesia's attitude of being willing to negotiate only "after she had set a firm foot on New Guinea.” Another element in the situation. over which the Government had no control, was that if violence and aggression continued, international law and order was at stake. In a one-day debate. Mr J De Kadt and Mr Hendrik Lankhorst said Holland should conduct future nego-

tiations on the basis of being willing to hand over the territory to Indonesia. The Foreign Minister (Dr. Luns) said the Netherlands was not prepared to declare beforehand that it was willing to transfer the administration of West New Guinea to Indonesia before Indo-nesian-Dutch talks.

Yesterday America’s Ambassador to Indonesia <Mr Howard Jones) was optimistic on the possibilities of a peaceful solution to the West New Guinea crisis. He told reporters in Djakarta that he hoped the secret DutchIndonesian talks would soon be resumed.