PARIS CONFERENCE

Grey River Argus, 27 August 1946, Page 5

PARIS CONFERENCE

EUROPEAN NEED Democratic Rule DR. EVATT’S VIEWS. LONDON, August 24. Australia wanted a just democratic system of life established throughout the European Continent as well as elsewhere in the world, said the Australian Minister of External Affairs (Dr. H. V. Evatt), explaining to Reuter’s correspondent in Paris his strong views about bringing the smaller countries into the Peace Conference. He added: “I am strong because Australia has been in two world wars and she ■ does not want the situation to deteriorate so that a third is inevitable.” He was glad' that the stage had been reached when Australia was no longer’ considered by the world merely as a rubber stamp for Whitehall, but as self-reliant partner, with the rights of partnership and a force contributing to world peace and democracy. Nothing was mole welcomed by the British Government than this development. Dr. Evatt paid a tribute to America’s contribution to the conference. He said that in the Pacific Australian and American relations, which had never been on a surer foundation, were vitally important not only to New Zealand and Australia, but also to the whole British Commonwealth. For the first time during a month conference activity is almost at a standstill, states Reuter’s correspondent in Paris. Only the secretariat is working, preparing the consideration of the treaties by nine commissions. The New Zealand delegation is at present awaiting instructions from New Zealand regarding the Government’s attitude to the proposed Australian amendments to the draft treaties. Mr. Bevin presided at an informal conference of the. United Kingdom and Dominion Peace Conference delegates, and later was host at a luncheon to them. The meeting, the spokesman said, discussed Italian colonies, but it did not deal with British Mediterranean policy. A spokesman for the New Zealand delegation at the Paris Conference denies that the question of British policy in Egypt was discussed by the leaders of the Dominions’ delegations at the recent conference with Mr. Bevin, and that, as claimed in a London agency report that the leader of the New Zealand delegation (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) sided with Mr. Bevin when General Smuts and Dr. H. V. Evatt questioned the advisability of a British withdrawal. Dominion Ministers were told of the British Cabinet’s latest Palestine plan in view of the United States refusal to participate in establishing a federal form of government there. THE VETO PROBLEM NEW YORK, August 24. Sir Alexander Cadogan, British delegate to the United Nations, broadcast on the N.B.C.’s foreign policy programme. He said that the abuse of the veto had tended to discredit the U.N.O. Security Council. Nevertheless, it wajs likely that the veto power would be deleted from the charter. Sir A. Cadogan declared that it was not the veto that was wrong so much as the use made of it. The Netherlands delegate, Dr. Van Kieffens, broadcasting on the same programme said that his country had agreed to the veto on strong pressure when it was told that without the veto, there would be no United Nations. He urged that the veto should be limited to certain specific, welldefined issues.