NEW GUINEA ONLY DISPUTE BETWEEN HOLLAND & INDIES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23219, 3 April 1950, Page 7

NEW GUINEA ONLY DISPUTE BETWEEN HOLLAND & INDIES

(10 a.m.) JACARTA, April 2. The issue of Dutch New Guinea is the only one causing friction between the partners in the Netherlands-Indo-nesian Union, said the Premier, Dr. Mohammed Hatta, yesterday, speaking at the close of the first Union Ministers' conference.

“The sooner this issue is removed from the agenda the better and the stronger will be the basis of co-opera-tion between the two countries,” Dr. Hatta said.

The conference appointed a commission to prepare for the final discussions on the future of Dutch New Guinea at the next meeting of the Union Ministers.

The Netherlands agreed that Indonesia may station a commissioner in New Guinea.

Dr. Hatta said he hoped that future discussions would deal with the coordination of reconstruction in Indonesia and the Netherlands. At the conference just finished an agreement was not reached on every point, but, on the whole, the negotiations have been satisfactory. The Netherlands Minister for Union Affairs, Dr. J. H. van Maarseveen, said there was a doubt at first whether the time had come for the first Union conference and whether the heap of difficulties would not prove to be a hindrance for fruitful discussions. That doubt had turned out to be unfounded. The conference had solved very difficult problems and contributed to preparations for the solution of others, he said.

Both sides might say they were satisfied on many points, A joint statement issued by the Ministers after the conference said the results showed the Union "may grow into a living reality in international society.” It was agreed that the Netherlands would grant Indonesia a credit amounting to 200,000,000 Netherlands guilders during 1950 to provide for the anticipated deficit of Indonesia in its payments to the Netherlands.