Huong Reported To Be Against Paris Talks

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31841, 20 November 1968, Page 17

Huong Reported To Be Against Paris Talks

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SAIGON, Nov. 19.

The Prime Minister (Mr Tran Van Huong) was quoted today as saying it would not be beneficial for South Vietnam to send a delegation to the Paris peace talks at this time, United Press International reported.

The semi-official Vietnam press agency said Mr Huong made the statement yesterday at the coastal resort of Vung Tau, where he presided, over

opening ceremonies of a seminar “on the present situation” for Government military and administrative staff.

Without directly quoting Mr Huong, the agency said: “Prime Minister Huong said that presently the Republic of Vietnam has not yet planned to send any delegation to attend peace talks in Paris. “The Prime Minister added that since Communist North Vietnam has made confused declarations in the past few days, it is not beneficial for us to send a delegation to the conference.

“Moreover, such an act does not suit the stand of President Nguyen Van Thieu made known in his message to the National Assembly last November 2.”

In his November 2 speech. President Thieu said he would not go to Paris as long as the National Liberation Front, the political arm of the Viet Cong, was represented there as a separate delegation.

Mr Huong’s declarations appeared to contradict statements from other wellplaced Vietnamese Government sources who have said that “all major difficulties” between the United States and South Vietnam over Saigon’s boycott of the Paris talks have been overcome and that “details” were now being worked out so that Saigon could send a delegation. These sources say that Sai|gon has accepted the “our side, your side” formula for [peace talks, whereby each (side would organise itself as lit wished. They said this [would fit President Thieu’s ■ proposal for “two-sided” talks : Under the “our side, your side” formula, North Vietnam and the N.L.F. might claim to be separate delegations but the United States and South Vietnam would recognise them only as one delegation from Hanoi.

In this way, Saigon would be able to get round its objections to recognising the front as a separate delegation.

The sources indicated, however, that South Vietnam would still like to “lead” the allied delegation to the peace talks, a propcpal which is ap-

patently unacceptable to hte (United States. Some Vietnamese sources (said Saigon might be willing 1 to accept a co-chairmanship of I the allied delegation under which Saigon would be given the right to speak first on the allied side and perhaps walk into the conference room ahead of the Americans, while not actually speaking for the Americans.