Relations With Spain— U.S. Favours Modifying UNO Restriction

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 October 1948, Page 5

Relations With Spain— U.S. Favours Modifying UNO Restriction

(Rec. 9.25 a.m.) WASHINGTON. October 10. The first official indication that the United States would favour modification of the United Nations 1946 resolution, recommending restricting diplomatic relations with Spain, was given by the Secretary of State, General Marshall, at a press conference after his meeting with President Truman. General Marshall said the United States did not believe the United Nations resolution had a proper application to the present situation. However, General Marshall said the United States would take no initiative at the present United Nations Assembly meeting to have the resolution revoked. >

It is reported that United States naval officers have just completed a thorough toui - of port facilities and possible beach landing sites along Spain’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, says the Madrid correspondent of the British United Press. The tour was made within a few days of a survey of Pyrenees passes between France and Spain by a group of United States military officers.

The Madrid correspondent of the Associated Press reports that General Franco, speaking to the Cordoba Provincial Parliament, declared that all Spaniards would defend their country “if ever an Asiatic horde attacks Spain.” Talks With Salazar A British United Press dispatch from Lisbon says that Mr James Farley, a former United States Postmas-ter-General who was revieved by General Franco on Wednesday, had an audience with the Prime Minister of Portugal (Dr. Salazar). They discussed aspects of the Iberian Penninsular Pact between Spain and Portugal, and the position of both countries in the fight against Communism. The Spanish Socialist Party in ex'ile has called on Spain to eliminate “all totalitarian groups and influences and to adhere to the Brussels Western Union Treaty and the European recovery plan. A statement is-

sued by the party said that the Spanish Socialists and other anti-totalitar-ian groups had reached agreement to bring about a solution of the Spanish political problem. “After reports f<om Lisbon that the Monarchist leader (Mr Gil Robles) had denied signing an agreement between the Spanish Monarchist and Socialist parties in exile, a British Foreign Office spokesman has reaffirmed that Britan received the text of the agreement,” says Reuter’s diplomatic correspondent. Is Split Indicated?

“There is.some speculation in unofficial quarters whether Mr Robles’s statement indicates a split in the Monarchist Party, between the elements believing that it is important to maintain a working coalition -with the Socialsts and those .who believe it is time to make peace with General Franco.”

The Paris correspondent of the Associated Press says that Monarchist circles rejected the Spanish Foreign Office’s denial of an agreement between the Socialists and Monarchists. An authorised Monarchist source said: “Accord exists and the Socialists’ action in communicating it to the Western Powers was in order. It has never been a question of signature of the accord, but of the conclusion of it, .and it is ridiculous to play with words to deny an undeniable fact.”