FOREIGN POLICY

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30062, 21 February 1963, Page 15

FOREIGN POLICY

France Now Lying Low

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, February 20.

The French Government has decided on a period of silence on major foreign policy matters on the theory that whatever it might say at the moment is likely to be misunderstood, said the Paris correspondent of the New York “Herald Tribune." Behind the scenes, however, he said, in diplomatic contacts and background briefings with correspondents, the French were actively trying to erase the bitterness which continued in the wake of President de Gaulle’s press conference last month.

“The main,themes are the basic loyalty of France in the struggle against communism and its willingness to contribute to the reconstruction of co-operative policies in Europe. On neither point is the French diplomatic stock high at the moment and it is for this reason that the ‘period of silence’ has been decreed.

“At the background briefings the French argue that their European polic” is correct and justified and that the rest of Europe and the United States will slowly come to accept their views At the same time they don't like the suspicions and accusations which are heaped upon them,” the correspondent said.

The French thought that the British were behaving badly in cancelling Royal Visits to France and encouraging anti-French and antiGaullist feeling, but were content to wait until the atmosphere improves on the assumption that in the end thev would gain.

Passenger Services Cancelled fNJZ. Press Assn.—Copyright) TOKYO, Feb. 20. A spokesman for the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (AJSK.), one of the largest Japanese shipping companies, confirmed here today the company was cancelling all services for passengers on its cargo liners. The spokesman said the company had found the carriage of‘up to 12 passengers on each of its main liners was unprofitable and would be discontinuing such services from April, 1963.