Council Of Europe— Churchill Calls For Admission Of Germany

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 August 1949, Page 5

Council Of Europe— Churchill Calls For Admission Of Germany

PARIS, August 1.7 (Rec 11.10 a.m.).—Mr Winston Churchill today suggested that an extraordinary session of the European Consultative Assembly be called within a few months for the admission of Germany to the Council of Europe. Describing the issue as the greatest and most important facing the Assembly, he said: “A United Europe cannot live without the help and strength of Germany.” The British Conservatives later tabled a new resolution calling for a special sitting of the Assembly next January. They urged that at this session the Assembly should decide its own agenda without the approval of the Committee of Foreign Ministers.

Addressing the Assembly, Mr Churchill, after emphasising that he he did not advocate the surrender of national sovereignty in the interests of furthering European unity, said: “We must not, on our present electoral basis, attempt to challenge the powers that belong to duly-con-stituted national parliaments, founded on direct suffrage. Such a course is premature and would be detrimental to our long-term interests.” They were engaged in creating a European unit in the world organisation of the United Nations. “I hope we shall become one of several Continental units and that in due course these units will be represented in the world organisation collectively rather than as individual States,” he added Solving Own Problems Mr Churchill said he hoped they would be able to settle the great mass of their own problems among themselves in Europe before they were brought to the world council. They were not in any way a rival of the world organisation, but a subordinate and essential element in its ultimate structure.

“We are a deliberative Assembly and we must have full freedom of discussion on all questions, except defence, which has its special reasons,” he continued. “We must assert our right to that freedom, but while I feel we should insist upon full debates and choice of subjects, we do not possess executive power and at this stage we could not possibly claim it.” Mr Churchill then came to what he described as the “greatest and most important of all the questions that are before us.” “Cannot Live Without Germany” “A United Europe cannot live without the help and strength of Germany,” he said. “One of the most practical reasons for pressing forward the creation of the European Assembly was that it provided an effective means, and possibly the only means, of associating a democratic and free Germany with the Western democracies.” They should also make some provision for some association with the representatives of those countries which were at present deprived of ordinary democratic freedom, but who would surely regain it in the march of time. Mi- Churchill said they could not part at the end of this month on the basis that they did nothing to bring Germany into their circle until a year had passed. Mr Churchill added that he had been assured that it was physically impossible for any German Government to be represented at the present session, and he would be satisfied with the assurance that another session would be called as soon as possible. “When we meet in extraordinary session it is my hope that we shall find ourselves already joined by a German delegation, but if this cannot be done then there will be time for us to debate the issue in full freedom.” French Viewpoint

M. Georges Bidault, former French Foreign Minister, told the Assembly that the council should go slowly on admitting Germany in its ranks, and declared that in any case the Saar must be admitted as a separate member before Germany. “There is no country which • has lived in the nightmare of being on Germany’s frontier as has France,” M. Bidault said. They hoped this nightmare was now dispelled, but some German election campaign speeches had made France and Europe anxious. Hermud Lannung (Denmark) said it would be dangerous if Germany were not admitted as it would be a victory for the Nationalists in Germany. Mr. Lannung said that he would oppose the admission of Franco Spain to the Assembly, but that he would welcome a democratic Spain.' Mr Arthur Sundt (Norway) said Europe must pool its forces —economic, cultural and political—but' all the work of the unification would have to be voluntary. * “Nice Round Phrases” The British Labour Party representative, Mr Frederick Lee, said that the Assembly should not consider such “nice round phrases as the unification of Europe;” but projects

which influenced the lives of the people. Mr Ludovico Benvenuti (Italy) said that, although it would be impossible to envisage a United Europe without Britain, it would be just as hard to see Great Britain detached from the Commonwealth. “It is a grave difficulty, but not an insurmountable one,” he said. He would welcome the inclusion of overseas territories of France and Britain and recommended the setting up of a special committee to consider the matter. ,