ARGENTINA AND CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 25473, 2 May 1945, Page 6

ARGENTINA AND CONFERENCE

ADMITTED AFTER ARGUMENT

M. MOLOTOV FIGHTS FOR POLAND

LONDON, April 30,

The " Steering " Committee of the San Francisco Conference, voting to invite Argentina, the Ukraine, and White Uussia into its sessions, brushed aside without a ballot Russia's effort to bring in the Lublin Government. The vote favoured Argentina by 29 to 5. M. Molotov announced that he will make a floor, fight before the full conference against the immediate admission' .of Argentina. The "Steering" Committee's report will now go before the plenary session.

Delegates reported that M. Molotov will not press the Polish issue when another defeat is obvious. The .Russian objections to the admittance of Argentina are so vigorous that M. Molotov intimated that he-will make a public statement on the Soviet position at the next plenary session. The Argentina question first came '.. before the Executive Committee, which voted 9 to 3 in favour of admitting Argentina, with one member absent and China abstaining from voting. Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia voted. with Russia. M. Molotov protested in the strongest language, and" continued to protest at the " Steering "Committee meeting. Delegates reported that he took the stand that the Polish and Argentina cases were parallel. If Poland was to-be rejected because the Government wa6 not representative, Argentina should be rejected on the same grounds. Furthermore, if the representative nature of the Argentina Government was not an issue the same argument should not be raised against Warsaw. '1

China's abstinence from votingin the Executive Committee was helieved to be influenced by the fact that, she has no diplomatic relations with Argentina, which has never the Chungking regime. ■ t MR FRASER OBJECTS. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, bitterly opposed inviting Argentina, declaring that she liad no more right to sit at San Francisco than the Franco Government. ... ~..,. The plenary session of the i'an Francisco Conference, by 28 :to. 7, decided to admit Arpe'uin l/iuiedj'ateiy. rejecting M. Molotov's demand!for delay. New Zealand refrained from voting- oil the question, but had * previously supported the Russian move to. defer the question. M.Molotov,earlier told a Press conference that he was requesting the plenary session; that the final decision on the adhiittauce or Argentina be delayed for a few. days because Russia had. hot had .time, to study the merits of the : case. M. Molotov reiterated,.that if Argentina, with its past record, were to be invited to the conference, IPolahd, with its record, should • also be invited. He cited statements > by: Mr Cordell Hull and the late. Mr Roosevelt last autumn branding Argentina the headquarters of Fascism/in the Western Hemisphere. "Perhaps since last October Argentina's Fascist . Government has been replaced, by a democratic Government. They, undoubtedly, know that better in America. If it is so,;.Russia w.ould'-like to be irKformed of these facts so-that she may know them as facts." : ,..-'.

Mr Stettinius told the Press that M. Molotov offered no formal ] motion on the Polish question. The Polish issue is regarded at present as having been disposed of.

M. Molotov curtailed his Press conference in order, to reach the floor at the plenary session and state his case when .the "Steering"" Committee's recommendation that■; Argentina he invited was presented. , He,said the world could not forgt that Argentina helped the enemy during the'war and the Poles fought on ihe Allied side, The conference's prestige was ihrolved in the decision on the admittance of the Lublin Government, v. .

M. Molotov emphasised thai, Russia had complied with the. British request to invite India and America's desire to • include the Philippines,' although neither country was independent. This was done to meet the British and the Americans halfway. So far all th£ invitations to the conference; had been issued unanimously by the sponsoring Powers. That was a. go_od rule from which the conference should not wish to depart. ; '■•-",•■'' ,: Mr Stettinius said Argentina • complied with the conditions .for joining the United Nations laid down at the Chapultepec conference. The representatives of the American nation desired her admittance. .Mr Stettinius closed thedebate with, an-appeal for a speedy invitation to Argentina so that the controversy could be ended and the conference work on the real problem of establishing a world security organisation. THE VOTING. .' ■'..' The plenary session took, two votes. The first, on.M. Molotoy.'s motion seek-' ing to' delay the Argentina decision, was defeated by 28 votes to 7, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Belgium,.Greece, New Zealand, and Norway supporting Russia. France abstained from voting. . The second, vote, on the motion to issue an immediate -invitation, was carried by 31 votes to ; 4. ';-.Russia, Greece, Czecko-Slovakia, and. Yugoslavia opposed the motion, and New, Zealand and Belgium abstained from voting.

When the result was announced M. Molotov left the hall with Dr Mas'aryk, the Czech Prime Minister, and Dr Subasic. the Yugoslav leader. The conference, without debate, agreed to the admittance of White, Russia/and the Ukraine.

The ' New York Times ' correspondent at the conference says it is authoritatively reported that M. Molotov is handing over the discussion on the Dumbarton Oaks proposals, to the Ambasasdor, M. Gromyko. and will go to Moscow early next week. Mr Eden is expected to leave soon after M. Molotov. In spite of these indications, Mr Stettinius is confident that the conference will continue without interruption, even when the European war is declared over.

Dr Syngman Rheo, the Korean Provisional Government envoy, protested against the exclusion of Korea from, the conference while Argentina, White Russia, and the Ukraine were admitted, i : .

Mr Fraser explained that he supported the Russian proposal, to delay the decision because of the need to examine carefully Argentina's case in the light of her past record 'and because of the possible effect the precedent of admitting Argentina might have on the position of certain other countries which assisted the Axis. However, when this motion was defeated Mr Fraser abstained from voting on the question of admitting Argentina because of the unanimity of opinion on the point between the American republics.