Peace Talks Amid Strike Conflict

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 17

Peace Talks Amid Strike Conflict

(N J.. P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

PARIS, May 13.

United States and North Vietnamese delegates began their long and arduous search for peace today while a general strike gripped their host nation, France. The two chief delegates, Mr W. Averell Harriman, of the United States, and Mr Xuan Thuy, of North Vietnam, shook hands in die stately, gold-decorated ballroom of the International Conference Centre where the brief formal opening ceremony was held.

The two convoys of official cars had followed one after the other along the Avenue Kleber to the conference building, near the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of Paris, a 300-yard stretch of the fashionable avenue having been cleared of traffic by the police.

A crowd of about 200 watched the delegations arrive in bright spring sunshine. The North Vietnamese travelled in sleek black French Citroens, and the United States delegates, in larger American limousines. About 300 reporters and photographers crowded forward in specially-built grandstands in front of the greystone building, the former Majestic Hotel now used by the French Foreign Ministry for international conferences.

War the German Gestapo used it as headquarters. The North Vietnamese delegation entered the spaciuos hall first, followed within seconds by the American delegation. Mr Harriman, shaking hands with Mr Thuy, smiled and said in English: “Good morning, how do you do? Glad to see you again.” Mr Thuy replied with a smile to Mr Harriman’s greeting, but his remarks were inaudible to reporters, who were kept yards away from the delegates. Television and press photographers on the other side of the room yelled out to Mr Harriman: "The handshake again—please shake hands

During the Second World again.”

But Mr Harriman, who had already shaken hands with Mr Thuy and three other North Vietnamese delegates, ignored the request and walked over to take his seat at the conference table.

The opening ceremony, recorded by scores of television cameramen, photographers and correspondents, lasted 10 minutes. Then the press, radio, and television representatives were ushered out and the doors were closed.

The peace delegation leaders were meeting each other for the first time in six years. In 1962 they attended the Geneva conference which agreed to make and keep Laos neutral. Mr Harriman was a principal architect of this agreement, and Mr Thuy, a senior member of Hanoi’s delegation. Steps taken to counter the effects of the strike, besides the heavy security cordon thrown round the conference area, included work on the conference centre’s own special generating plant in case of power failure, and measures to ensure that the building’s telephone and translation facilities were in perfect order.

Colonel Ha Van Lau, one of the North Vietnamese negotiators, has said the possibility of rapid results depends on the United States.

Appearing in a five-minute interview recorded yesterday by the Columbia Broadcasting System, Colonel Lau repeated that America must unconditionally halt bombing raids and all other acts of war against his country. He accused the United States of intensifying the bombing raids since March 3, and he added: “You must judge for yourself whether the United States is sincere or not Whether the talks can bring rapid results or not depends on the United States.”