Political Issues First, Ky Says

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31864, 17 December 1968, Page 21

Political Issues First, Ky Says

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) WASHINGTON, Dec. 16. Vice-President Nguyen Cao Ky said yesterday that there would have to be an over-all understanding about the basic political problems of Vietnam before his country would accept a major truce. /

Mr Ky, who is In charge of South Vietnam’s negotiations at the Paris peace talks, said in an interview with the magazine “U.S. News and World Report” that such an understanding included the withdrawal of North Vietnamese troops from the South and assurances that aggression would not be resumed by the Communists. He declared that the Saigon delegation “shall try our best to make the talks serious and useful. But I repeat: success of the talks depends also on the good will of the Com-

munlst negotiators. The ball is now in their court. We are here and we are willing to talk with them.”

Asked how long his delegation would remain if the talks failed to produce progress, he said no time limit was set, but “if we have cause of dissatisfaction with the Paris talks, we will reserve our freedom of action.” Mr Ky said the Communists would compromise on their terms for a settlement—including a coalition government in Saigon—once they were convinced they could not attain them.