MILITARY PACT FOR WESTERN NATIONS

Grey River Argus, 28 October 1948, Page 7

MILITARY PACT FOR WESTERN NATIONS

U.S.A. And Canada To Join Europe PARIS, October 26. The five Western Union Foreign Ministers have decided to ask the United States to sign a North Atlantic Pact for mutual military security. The Ministers, who have ended a two-day session, agreed to instruct their resnective ambassadors to take up the project with the American State and ' Defence Departments in the near future. A communique issued after the meeting states: “The Council made a preliminary study of North Atlantic security and the conversations on it which occurred in Washington. They unanimously agreed on the principle of a defensive North Atlantic Fact and the next steps to be taken. The live Ministers also approved the principles governing the defence policy of the five Powers and decided to establish a. committee of experts to study the financial and economic questions raised by the organisation of the defence of Western Europe”.

The Ministers decided to set up a committee consisting of five British, three Belgian, three Netherlands, and two Luxemburg members to report on the steps to be taken for securing a greater measure of unity between European countries. This committee will examine Franco-Belgian suggestions for convening a European Assembly and a British suggestion on the establishment of a European Council appointed by and responsible to the Governments to dxd with matters of common concern. The committee will consider all suggestions made by private organisations. It will report to the next meeting of the Consultative Council in January. The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Ernest Bevin, conferred with the French Defence Minister, M. Ramadier. They discussed on a general basis France's overall armament position, and in particular how France, with limited budgetary allocations, could meet her commitments under the five-nations pact.

Observers expect the American, Canadian and Western Union representatives to meet on the North Atlantic defence pact as soon as possible after the American Presidential elections. It is obvious that Canada and the United States have already committed themselves fully in principle to the idea.

Canada Fortifies East Coastline

(Received October 27, 9.5 p.m.) HALIFAX, October 26. Canada’s east coast, stripped of its artillery defences after the Second World War, is soon to be refortified with new long-range radar equipped guns to meet the threat of war, says the newspaper “Halifax Mail.” It adds that the old forts are to be re-equipped with coastal artillery on a scale bigger than ever. Army Headquarters at Ottawa indicated that coastal artillery units in the reserve force are to be expanded on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.