VIETNAM CONFLICT Cease-fire orders effective today

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33252, 15 June 1973, Page 9

VIETNAM CONFLICT Cease-fire orders effective today

(N.7..P.A -Reuter—Copyright! PARIS. June 14. The South Vietnamese Government and the Viet Cong are pledged today to issue identical orders calling for a troop standstill in South Vietnam, and for a total cease-fire to come into effect tomorrow. These are the principal points in the joint communique signed in Paris yesterday by the United States, North Vietnam, and the rival South Vietnamese parties, and designed to shore up the brittle Vietnam peace pact. The new accord bans any troop movements which would extend either South Vietnamese party’s area of control, and forbids the United States and North Vietnam to introduce troops or military advisers into South Vietnam, but it sets no date for a General Election in South Vietnam, it makes no new provisions for halting the hostilities in Cambodia and Laos, and it does not mention North Vietnamese troop withdrawals from South Vietnam.

The United States Presidential adviser, Dr Henry Kissinger, . who negotiated the new arrangement with the North Vietnamese Politburo member, Mr Le Due Tho, has expressed cautious hopes that this time, the joint declaration will really end the fighting in Vietnam. Dr Kissinger told a press conference after the,signing: “There is fresh hope, and, we hope, a new spirit.” President Thieu’s Government, which had been regarded as the chief obstacle to a settlement, has welcomed the communique, but says that the pea:e pact of January 27 is still the chief basis for bringing peace to Vietnam. The communique stipulates

that the United States will immediately cease air reconnaissance over North Vietnam, will resume the demining of North Vietnamese waters within five days, and will conclude talks on economic aid to North Vietnam within 15 days. Assessing the new arrangement, Dr Kissinger said before flying back to Washington: "We believe we have achieved a satisfactory conclusion on the points which were of principal concern to the United States.” He acknowledged that the question of elections was extremely important, and had not been thoroughly answered. The declaration says only that the political future of South Vietnam is something for the South Vietnamese people themselves to decide, “through genuinely free and democratic elections under international supervision.” The communique calls for the formation of a Council of National Conciliation and Concord as soon as possible, and says thac the South Vietnamese Government and the. Viet Cong should reach some agreement on their country's political future within 45 days. The South Vietnamese Foreign Minister (Mr Tran Van Lam) said in Saigon today: “The question of North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam— and their presence remains unacceptable to Saigon—has been discussed, but not solved,” Mr Lam said. “There was a lot of discussion, and we made clear to! them (the North Vietnamese) that they must stop this infiltration. This was one of the points that delayed the signing of the communique.” Mr Lam added that North Vietnam and the United States had reached an understanding on the war in Cam-

bodia and Laos, but, he said, he was not prepared to disclose what that understanding was. Hanoi accused In the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, the Ministry of Information released a dbeu-! ment in which it was declared that there were now 45,000 North Vietnamese troops in Cambodia, and that Hanoi had violated Article 20 of the original Paris agreement by: Refusing to withdraw her forces. Increasing her infiltration of men and materials. Continuing hostile actions again Cambodian troops. Openly interfering in Cambodia’s internal affairs, notably by forcibly recruiting local auxiliaries to camouflage North Vietnamese aggression. American aircraft carried out raids for the 100th consecutive day in Cambodia today, heavily’ bombing Communist targets south of Phnom Penh, where Cambodian military officials say there is heavy fighting.