Working Out Face-Saving Agreement?

Northern Advocate, 14 June 1949, Page 5

Working Out FaceSaving Agreement?

FOREIGN MINISTERS ..

PARIS, Mon. (1 p.m.).—The Big Four Foreign Ministers, in secret talks, are working for a three-point face-saving agreement on Germany, says the British United Press correspondent, quoting authoritative Western sources. Agreement, at least in principle, 'on the Austrian peace treaty may also be concluded before the present council session ends. Agreement on Germany would provide tor:

(1) The setting up of a committee of Foreign Ministers’ deputies to continue study of the German peace treaty and unification of both Germany and the city of Berlin. (2) Establishment of a committee of Germans in Berlin under the supervision of the four Allied commanders to work out means for the final lifting of the blockade. (3) Limited accord on restoration of East-West trade between the two halves of Germany. In Berlin the four occupation powers wound up their talks on trade and transport late today, says the Associated Press. They immediately sent their separate reports to the Council of Foreign Ministers in Paris.. General Sir Brian Robertson, British Military Governor in Germany, arrived tonight from Berlin. I It is expected that the reports sought last week by the Foreign Ministers’ Council on the implementation of the New York agreement to lift the blockade, will be in the hands of the Ministers for discussion when they resume their plenary sessions tomorrow afternoon. In addition to an open session, the Ministers will confer privately. / BALKAN TREATIES Moscow radio today broadcast the text of a Note from the Soviet Government to Britain and the United States on the subject of >a Big Three Foreign Ministers’ meeting to discuss the question of observance of peace treaties by Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria. The Moscow radio said the Russian Government had studied Notes sent to Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania, in which these three countries were accused of violating the peace treaties, and considers that Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania had given exhaustive replies to the accusations against them.

(The Notes protesting over alleged violations of human and basic rights in the three Balkan nations were sent by the United States and Britain on April 2, and replies received within a few days On May 31 new British and American Notes were handed to the three Balkan Governments.) FULFILLING OBLIGATIONS Moscow radio said it could be seen from the replies which the three countries made to the Notes that the “Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania are exactly fulfilling the obligations they undertook under the peace treaties, including also obligations guaranteeing human rights and basic rights.” Moscow radio said the Russian Note was delivered- in Washington on Saturday and in London on Sunday. The radio added: “The Soviet Government appraises the endeavour of the United States Government artificially to convert this question into the subject of a dispute as a direct attempt to make use of the peace treaties for intervention in the internal affairs of Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania, with a view to bringing pressure to bear on their internal policy.”