HEARING OF THE APPEAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26115, 30 March 1946, Page 7

HEARING OF THE APPEAL

PROCEDURE DECIDED ON (Rec. 0.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, Mar. 28. After the closed meeting of the Security Council to-day, the following communique was issued:— “ Members of the Security Council held an executive meeting to discuss informally further procedure to be followed by the Council in dealing with Persia’s appeal. Various alternative suggestions for further procedure were considered, and as the result of the discussion a considerable area of agreement was found. Representatives of all members of the Council except the Soviet Union attended the meeting. The Council will hold a public meeting at 3 p.m. to-morrow.”

Mr Gromyko told reporters that he did not know whether he would attend to-morrow’s Council meeting. Mr Gromyko left the Russian Consulate by car to-day about the time the Security Council meeting was due to start, saying he was en route to the meeting. Reporters who followed him say that, after circling round the United Nations’ office, where the meeting was to be held, he instructed the driver to return to the consulate. ’

The diplomatic correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph says that Sir Alexander Cadogan has been instructed to press for continued discussion of the Persian case, even if Mr Gromyko remains absent.

President Truman, at a press conference to-day, said Mr - Byrnes had his full support in pressing for the immediate consideration of the Persian appeal before the Council.. He denied that he and Mr Byrnes had discussed approaching Generalissimo Stalin directly, adding that matters which in war-time were tackled by the British, Russian, and American leaders should nofo be handled through the Security Council or other branches of the United Nations Organisation.

The President again rejected the suggestion that he should call another meeting of the “Big Three.” He added that he did not believe the Russian walk-out was meant to be permanent. He had no misgivings.

The British Cabinet, at a meeting which lasted two hours. * considered for part of the time the Security Council situation. Lobbyists do not indicate what developed. It is learned that when the public session of the Council

'■ resumes to-morrow the Persian delegate to the Council will bring additional and fully documented evidence of Russian interference in the internal affairs of Persia through its agents, officials, and armed forces.

Mr Gromyko’s principal adviser, Professor Boris Stein, attended to-day’s meeting of experts on procedural matters, and a Soviet representative attended a meeting of the Council’s Military Staff Committee in the afternoon. >. A United Nations spokesman said that representatives of all the “Big Five” were present at ; the afternoon meeting. Satisfactory progress was made in the committee’s work, certain aspects of which were assigned to sub-committees.