SOVIET REPLY

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1946, Page 7

SOVIET REPLY

MOLOTOV’S CLAIMS

BIG FOUR ONLY “ADVISING”

CONFERENCE FURTHER SHARP TALK (Rec. 1 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 7. Mr. Molotov, replying to Mr. Byrnes, said it was America which had suggested the formation and membership of the council of Foreign Ministers -and it was the council which decided who should be invited to the conference. World opinion had unanimously approved the decision. , , „ Mr Molotov said it was true he had suggested that the council should be convened while the conference was in session “to exchange views on certain questions, including the chair - manship of the rules committee but what is wrong with that?,, Is it likely to hamper our work?” Challenge Accepted. Mr. Molotov claimed that the Foreign' Ministers took the correct procedure in preparing the draft of the rules, but “of course the draft is not a dictate to the conference— only advice. The British -and Americans talk about reservations. This is Creating an ambiguous situation. Ibis cannot be described as consistent. “The purpose of the Russian amendment is not to permit the joint decision of the Council of Foreign Ministers to be overruled. We , r Mr. Byrnes’s challenge to publish his speech in-the Russian press. This io not the first time the Russian delegation has had to stand alone in defence of an agreed decision. Our attitude is not dictated by selfish interests. The Russians wall listen carefully to the voice of each country.” . Jugoslav Claim. M. Piyado (Jugoslavia), returning to the question of voting rules, said the extent of their sacrifice by the fact that they were invaded gave countries such as Jugoslavia more interest in the European settlement than New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. He did not Question the desire of those countries for an enduring peace, but the unmvaded countries could not have the same immediate interest. When Mr. Molotov made a similar suggestion yesterday, Sir Hector McNeil, for Britain, replied that he did not see why the weight of British opinions the conference should be because Britain had attacked the enemy without waiting to be attacked.