EMPIRE CONFERS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 62, 11 September 1945, Page 7

EMPIRE CONFERS

TALKS ON COMMON POLICY

(Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, September 10. As a preliminary to the Council of Foreign Ministers which meets in London tomorrow, representatives of the United Kingdom Foreign Office and the Dominions conferred today at Whitehall. It was an informal gathering at which points of common policy were discussed.

■ The meeting of the Council is expected to last' a fortnight, and is regarded here as being, in effect, a preliminary peace conference. It is stated to have two main objectives: Firstly, the formulation of joint proposals on a number of outstanding issues; these proposals would then be referred to the five Governments and ultimately to the United Nations; secondly, to establish a small, permanent organisation to enable joint discussions to be carried on between meetings of the Foreign Secretaries. Five questions are reported to be likely to occupy most of the time of the conference: the negotiation of a peace treaty with Italy, the situation in the Balkans, the evacuation of the Allied forces from Persia, control of international waterways such as the Dardanelles, and also the matter of supplies for Vienna. Other problems likely to be raised are the Yugoslav claim for Trieste, and the French demands for coal from the Ruhr, and for measures to deprive Germany of the means of again threatening the peace, of Europe. Particular attention has been focused on the Balkan situation following the publication in "Isvestia," reputed to be the official organ of the Soviet Government, of the attack on British and American representatives on the inter-Allied Control Commission in Bucharest and alleging that they brought pi-essure to bear on King Michael to dismiss the Groza Government without the knowledge of the Russian member of the commission.

This report, says the diplomatic correspondent of "The Times," has caused surprise, not unmingled with - annoyance, and is categorically denied in official circles in London.

It is generally thought that it will be a difficult, crucial conference. Unlike Potsdam, it is not expected that there will be the same news "blackout," since each delegation has its own Press officer and there is a possibility of contacts with the principals.