BEVIN ADVANCES PLAN FOR GERMANY

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1947, Page 5

BEVIN ADVANCES PLAN FOR GERMANY

Decentralised Political Structure Is Main Object (Recd. 11.5 a.m.) MOSCOW, March 21. Mr. Bevin today proposed to the Council of Foreign Ministers a plan for a central administration in Germany, envisaging the ultimate formation of a republican form of Government with a president, a bicameral legislature and a supreme court to safeguard the constitution. One chamber, representing the whole nation, should be popularly elected. The other, representing the German States would have veto power in constitutional matters.

Mr Bevin said the aim was decentralisation of the political structure and the development of local responsibility in accordance with the Potsdam agreement, providing for the division of power between the states and the central Government. The lander (states) should have all the power, except the powers expressly delegated to the central government. These delegated powers should give the central Government legislative and executive responsibility in foreign affairs and the implementation of treaties, and also powers to secure the necessity unity in legal, economic and financial affairs.

Certain powers in the economic field must, for the time being, be exercised centrally for the whole ol Germany under the supervision of the Allied controlling authority, but when the economic situation permitted, the Control Council after consultation with the German advisory body should decide what German authorities should exercise these powers. The president’s duties should be those exercised by the constitutional head of the state without independent executive authority. The constitution should be framed to safeguard the freedoms of speech, press, radio, assembly, movement, religious affairs, association, the judiciary and from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. Trial Suggested Mr Bevin also proposed, as a first step towards giving Germany a permanent Government, that a trial constitution be framed in association with the German people. The Control Council would adopt and approve this constitution. The German people, under the provisional constitution, would elect a provisional Government. The people, after a reasonable trial period, would draw up and ratify the con-

stitution under which they would elect a new Government.

1 Mr Bevin suggested that the Allied Control Council should restrict itself to the direction of matters such as demilitarisation, disarmament, denazification, decartelisatiofi, security, reparations, war prisoners, displaced persons, war criminals, foreign relations and foreign exchange receipts. Mr Bevin said that Potsdam had disregarded the principle of a central German Government. He believed that if the Powers could agree on the principles of Government, the economic arrangements and the American proposal for a four-power treaty then Germany would be held in check until the Germans became a peaceful and democratic nation. General Marshall said the Big Four should immediately set in motion plans for a federalised Germany. The first step should be the establishment of a provisional Government composed of the heads of the existing State Governments with power to create and operate administrative agencies. The Germans should then draft a democratic constitution and the Government so created should assume authority.

Mr Bevin told the Foreign Ministers that Britain had received from all sources in Germany reparations to the total value of £22.990,000 since the end of the war, including between £ 15,000,000 and £20,000,000 from shipping. The remainder was from industrial capital and equipment. Mr Bevin emphasised that Britain had taken nothing from Germany’s current production and that the International Reparations Agency in Brussels was holding for distribution all the 235 tons of gold seized in Germany. The Foreign Ministers decided _ to invite representatives of the Austrian Government to Moscow to discuss the Austrian treaty as General Marshall suggested yesterday.