"STEERING" COMMITTEE MEETS

Evening Star, Issue 25470, 28 April 1945, Page 5

"STEERING" COMMITTEE MEETS

MAJOR PROBLEMS DISCUSSED SAN FRANCISCO, April 26. The United Nations went to work to-day when a " Steering " Committee comprising the leaders of the 46 delegations met in session on the second floor of the Veterans' Building, from which newspapermen were barred by military police. The committee at first grappled with Russian problems. There are indications that a favourable agreement may be reached to give Russia two extra conference seats. Whether Argentina will be allowed to join the conference is at present not known, but a compromise is regarded as possible,' under which Russia might yield on Argentina in return for Latin-American support for her hid foi three votes.

M. Molotov so far is the diplomatic star of the conference. His public appearances draw throngs in the streets, and curious knots of newspapermen and spectators clustered wherever he was due to appear. With the war in Europe obviously on the verge of conclusion the British delegation is believed to be urging. the conference to speed up its deliberations, feeling that once hostilities cease the attention of the European delegates will he diverted to immediate postwar problems. The conference was originally, expected to last for six weeks, but the British delegates suggest that the work should be cleaned up in a month or less, any troublesome details being left for later disposal. The New Zealand and Australian delegates attended the "Steering" Committee meeting this morning. Mr F. M. Forde, who sat next to M. Molotov, described the general atmosphere as one of good feeling.