SOVIET PLAN CUTS DANUBE IN TWO AS TRADE ROUTE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1948, Page 5

SOVIET PLAN CUTS DANUBE IN TWO AS TRADE ROUTE

BELGRADE, August 7

The Danube would remain cut in two for trade if the Eastern European Communit bloc denied Austria a seat immediately on an international Danubian Commission, said the United ■ States representative (Mr Cavendish Cannon) at the Danube Conference.

The conference agreed by seven votes to one to make the Russian plan for a new Danube Pact, the basis for discussion. The Russian plan would vest control of the Danube exclusively in the seven Communist-dominated States. France voted against this basis for discussion, and the United States and Britain abstained.

Mr Cannon said that if Austria's views were not considered the new Danube regime would not be able to function as envisaged either in the Soviet or the United States draft. As long as the United States remained in occupation of Germany it would represent German interests in Danubian affairs.

If Mr.Vyshinsky (Russia) had rejected on behalf of the other six Communist. States a large part of the American proposals, it was almost useless for the conference to go on, said Mr Cannon. He was sure Mr Vyshinsky “did not mean just that." Mr Cannon added: “I am ready to go Unto committee and I hope all of us are willing to seek some area of agreement.”

A. proposal that the conference form a general committee and consider the Russian draft article by article was carried by nine votes to one, the French opposing it. The conference decided by seven votes to three that the general committee should decide whether to allow publicity. Mr Vyshinsky said the press ought to be excluded in the interests of speeding up the work. All three Western Powers voted against this resolution. The Association Press correspondent says that at present the Danube river is divided at Linz, where the Russians have stopped non-Soyiet, shipping moving down the river since just after the war ended. This has kept nearly 700 Danube vessels,, mostly barges, idle in the American zones of Austria and Germany.