DUTCH TO HASTEN TRANSFER OF AUTONOMY TO INDONESIA

Grey River Argus, 28 February 1949, Page 5

DUTCH TO HASTEN TRANSFER OF AUTONOMY TO INDONESIA

(Rec. 5.30). BATAVIA, Feb. 26. (N.Z.P.A.— REUTER CABLE) In a move intended to break the Indonesian deadlock, the Dutch Government has decided to release the Republican leaders in Indonesia, and has invited all of the parties concerned to a round table conference, at The Hague, on March 12. The furpose of this conference is to discuss ways and means of accelerating a transfer of sovereignty to ?. representative Federal Government of Indonesia.

Republican leaders, including the President, Dr Soekarno, has been interned in North Sumatra since the Dutch began the December offensive. The Dutch Government decided that a speed-up of the transfer of Dutch sovereignty over Indonesia.to a representative Federal Government was necessary for a satisfactory solution of the Indonesian problem. The Netherlands Government, therefore, has decided to endeavour to transfer the sovereignty considerably earlier than July 1, 1950, which, in accordance with the previous plans of the Government had been laid down in a resolution of the Security Council on January 28, 1949, as the ultimate date for a transfer. A leading Republican political figure in Batavia said: “If the proposed conference is a method of implementing the U.N. Security Council’s resolution, our attitude towards it may be favourable, but if it is to be a means of avoiding the Security Council resolution, nothing will come of it”. ■