Mediation In Berlin Crisis— NOW RETURNED TO HIGHER LEVELS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 5

Mediation In Berlin Crisis— NOW RETURNED TO HIGHER LEVELS

(Recd. 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, October 10. The Berlin dispute has returned to the highest level of diplomatic negotiations and the Security Council meeting, called for tomorrow to discuss the crisis, has been postponed indefinitely. The Security Council is not expected to deal with the question again for several days.

Reuter’s Paris correspondent says the reconstruction of the delicate negotiations leading to the postponement of the council meeting shows that Mr Juan Bramuglia (Argentine) asked Mr Vyshinsky on October 8 whether Russia would lift the blockade immediately and join in Foreign Ministers’ Council talks simultaneously. Mr Vyshinsky said he would ask Moscow.

Mr Bramuglia then made a similar approach to the Western Powers. He is now awaiting replies.

United Nations officials do not expect the Council to meet again before October 13 or 14.

The Russians today publicly acknowledged the economic difficulties of zone in Germany and blamed them, in part, on the Allies’ coun-ter-blockade. This information is contained in a report published in the official Soviet newspaper Taegliche Rundschau, and quoted by the Associated correspondent. Russians Disappointed

The report said there had been “exceptional difficulties” in industrial production and that, the production targets in several fields had not been fulfilled during the third quarter of the year. The lag in steel and metal production was blamed on the “lack of machinery which formerly came from Western Germany.” The American Military Government’s official German newspaper, Die Neue Zeitung, said the production figures had proved very disappointing to the Russians, especially those of the socialised industries.

It added that it was especially painful for the German Communists and the Soviet that enterprises remaining in private hands came nearer ful-

filling their production quotas than the State-owned industries. This was especially true of the Saxon textile industry.

Seizure of Food

Great quantities of coal, potatoes, coffee and other food have been seized in a search of motor lorries in the Soviet sectoi’ of Berlin, says the Rus-sian-controlled new’s agency. Seven-ty-seven lorries were seized because of lack of proper papers for their freight, and the agency alleged that their cargoes were intended for the “illegal” supply of blockaded Western Berlin. The owners of the lorries were not identified, but they were, presumably, Germans.