DEPUTIES’ CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 26011, 28 January 1947, Page 5

DEPUTIES’ CONFERENCE

GREECE HEARD ON AUSTRIAN TREATY CANADA'S FUTURE COURSE UNCERTAIN .(Rec. 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 27. The Canadian Government is reported to be considering withdrawal from any participation in the Foreign Ministers’ Deputies Conference in London following the deputies’ failure to furnish an assurance that a statement on views now will not prejudice Canada’s full participation in later stages of the treaty-making, says the Australian Associated Press correspondent! Canadian representatives in London are awaiting instructions from Ottawa. They have cancelled arrangements which the deputies made to hear Canada’s views on both treaties on January 25. The deputies’ meeting this morning had had no further communication from Canada,. but decided to invite her represenatives to state her views on January 29. The deputies heard the Greek Ambassador, M. Aghnides, plead that in view of her sacrifices during the war, Greece should be associated more closely with the ivork of the Council of

Foreign Ministers, and should be invited to participate fully m drafting the Austrian treaty. . Greece had no feelings of revenge against Austria, but she felt Austria must bear responsibility for participation m the war alongside Germany. M Aghnides urged that Austria should help Germany in meeting Allied reparation claims. He suggested that gold found in Austrian banks in Germany should ' he used for this purpose. _ He requested that a clause should be inserted in the Austrian treaty compelling Austria to purchase one-third of her annual consumption of tobacco from Greece for the next 15 years. , ‘ , ~ The deputies, when M. Aghnides withdrew, set up a military committee to reconcile draft military clauses prepared by the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, and decided to request the Allied Council in Vienna for information on how Austria had honoured the German declaration of surrender of June 5, 1945.