CONFERENCE CLOSED

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 October 1946, Page 8

CONFERENCE CLOSED

CONCLUDING SPEECHES AT PARIS JUGOSLAVIA’S ABSENCE LONDON, October 16. The walking out of the Jugoslav delegation at th efina session of the Peace Conference was an unexpected blot upon what was to have_been a simple closing ceremony’. For the conference’s last day the only items on the agenda were the approval of the conference record of votes and messages from the .host, M. Bidault, the French Foreign Minister. The Chamber was crowded, and all the Big Four Foreign Ministers were present when the session began. . Dr. Quo Tai-chi, in a brief address, said it was time the ideals of Western Christianity were accepted by all nations and men. “Every attempt to divide the world into blocs will retard or compromise the cause of peace and surely lead to disaster,” he said. ’ The personal contacts established at the conference should lead to a better understanding among the nations. Mr James F. Byrnes, the United States Secretary of State, declared that the United States would, do its utmost to secure the incorporation in the peace treaties of any recommendation which had received a two-thirds majority in the conference, regardless of how America had voted. He added: “Just as no nation had the power to win the war, no one nation hps the right to dictate the peace,” Plea for “People’s Peace.” Answering criticism of the conference, Mr Byrnes pleaded for a “people’s peace.” He emphasised how the peoples of all countries, inculding former enemies, had been able to place their views before the conference.

Mr Byrnes said: “The conference disclosed that the smaller nations which participated in fighting the war were not only vitally interested in the peace but could also make valuable contributions to the drafting of the treaties.” It was now the duty of the Foreign Ministers’ Council to try to reconcile differences. Reconciliation would mean disappointment for some, but sell-restraint must be exercised to maintain a common unity and bring peace to a war-weary world. The conference by acclamation adopted two resolutions moved by Mr Byrnes expressing the thanks of the conference to the secretaries and gratitude to the French Government and people for their hospitality. Mr Molotov, the Russian Foreign Minister, supported Mr Byrne's resolutions. He declared that Russia would continue to strive to attain the objectives for which she fought during the war. - Mr Molotov said: “Irrespective of whether other countries like it or not, Russia will do all in her power far what she ' believes essential to a democratic peace.” ■ , ’ Pleading for a spirit of greater conciliation among all nations, Mr Sevin, the British Foreign Secretary, warned the delegates that “if we take a wrong decision or persist • in our views too far it will not be this generation that will have to pay but a generation yet unborn.” He asked die delegates to achieve accord so ■.hat “no one again will have to pay the price in blood paid this time.” Sowing Seeds of Peace “I won’t enter into the difficulties of the conference, except to say this one last word,” Mr Bevin added. “It has been said that the seeds of every great war have been sown in settlement of a previous war, but it is equally true that the seeds of permanent peace can be sown at the end of a great war.” Warmly .supporting Mr Byrnes’s motion of gratitude to France, Mr Bevin declared that Paris was a fitting site for the peace conference. He was confident that the resilience of the Frenchmen would regain for France the position in the world she uad so rightly occupied with such ,'iorv throughout history. M. Bidault went to the rostrum amid tremendous applause. He thanked the delegates and appealed to- the peoples of the world to work together 'With goodwill to overcome the tendency towards rival blocs. M. Bidault said that one of the difficulties ol‘ the conference had arisen from the fact that, the drawing up of the settlements had been started with satellites and not with the principal enemy, Germany. The conference also laboured under a handicap in bringing together “partners with various degrees of preparedness T hope this experience will be of use in the discussions that will settle the fate of Germany and Japan.” M. Bidault, however, added that he did not suggest that the smaller nations should not be brought into the preliminaries of the Germap and Japanese treaties. M. Bidault then declared the conference closed.