West European Unity Said to be Blocked By Foreign Ministers

Grey River Argus, 9 November 1949, Page 5

West European Unity Said to be Blocked By Foreign Ministers

LONDON, November 7. The Associated Press correspondent at Paris says.—A full-scale . revolt broke out tonight among members of the European Consultative Assembly against imitations thrown on their work by the Foreign Ministers' 'Committee, which is the Upper Hous? of the European Council. The steering committee was holding its first meeting since the Strasbourg Assembly to examine decisions taken by the Ministers in Paris last week. A bloc, led by M. Paul Reynaud. chairman of the Assembly’s Economic Committee, assertecT that the Ministers were “gagging” the Assembly and with it all hope of European Unity. M. Reynaud declared that if this continued he and many others would leave the Assembly, acsembly, according to persons who attended the fiery sess’ons of the Assembly’s Permanent Steering Committee. M. Reynaud was reported to bp virulent in his attacks on the Ministers’ Committee for its decision to refer all Assembly resolutions on economic matters to the Marshall Plan’s European. Economic Co-opera tion Organisation. Ea said the O.E.E.C. was ‘bankrupt” and its council meeting last night was able to take only “insignificant steps.” This was a reference to a pledge by O.E.E.C. members to remove quota restrictions front 50 per cent of private commerce before December 15. European Socialists, led by M. Guy Mollet (France) and M. Rolin (Belgium), took issue with the British Labour members oi: the Ministers 7 decision to grant Germany and the Saar associate memberships. Other members assailed the Ministers’ recommendation that the question of Germany’s membership be discussed by the next session of the Consultative Assembly, wh'ch is scheduled for next August. They said this would delay Germany’s entry for almost, a full year.