AGREEMENT POSSIBLE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21979, 25 March 1946, Page 3

AGREEMENT POSSIBLE

RUSSO-PERSIAN DIFFERENCES

IRANIAN PREMIER’S BELIEF REBUKE FOR PERSIAN AMBASSADOR (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (10 p.m.) LONDON, March 24. The Persian Prime Minister announced that the letter which the Persian Ambassador to the United States, Hussein Ala, had sent to the United Nations’ Secretary General, M. Trygve Lie, was unauthorised. He had cabled Hussein Ala instructing him to avoid any statements or actions contrary to diplomatic ethics which were likely to lead to further misunderstandings. He said that, in conformity with the decision at the last meeting of the Security Council, Persia would report progress on her direct negotiations with Russia at the next meeting. Tie expressed the opinion that it was possible that direct negotiations between Russia and Persia might result in the settlement of the dispute before the Security Council met on Monday.

The Persian Prime Minister added that he was not concerned with Russian attempts to postpone the meeting .of the Security Council and was indifferent whether it met immediately or in 15 days’ time. What really mattered was that a satisfactory solution should be found. Pie was confident that this would be done.

cent arrest of the Persian ex-Prime Minister. Said Zias, was ordered because of subversive activities against the Government. The affair -was strictly one of internal politics and had no international significance. The Times correspondent at Baghdad reports that the surrounded Persian garrisons at Sardasht Baneh and Saqqiz are still holding out. No Russian troops have been identified at any of these places, but it is that the Russians are providing the Kurds with supplies and other assistance. It is feared that if the garrisons succumb, the Kurds may attempt to cross the Iraqui border and try to inflame the Iraqui Kurds against the Iraq Government which, so far, has not sent any troops to the affected border.

He categorically denied reports that fresh Russian troops had entered Persia since March 2 and emphasised the question was that the Russian troops already there should be withdrawn. Terming the Azerbaijan problem as relatively unimportant, he expressed the opinion- that-it would be definitely settled by negotiation as soon as the Russian forces were evacuated. The re-