ATMOSPHERE CLEARED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26226, 9 August 1946, Page 5

ATMOSPHERE CLEARED

PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE REAL WORK TO BEGIN LONDON, Aug 7. The Paris correspondent of The Times says that after a week of strenuous discussions the conference has been almost fully organised to begin the real work of studying the five draft treaties. The all-night debate which ended early this morning was a night well spent. The Rules Committee has come through its worst crisis successfully. Henceforth the conference recommendations carried by a simple majority will have as much right as recommendations passed by a two-thirds majority to be forwarded to the Big Four. The long wrangle and crisis it provoked are not understandable without an analysis of the Powers’ voting strengths. The Soviet almost invariably commands .the support of White Russia, Jugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Ukraine. The Soviet also has good reason to expect British American, and French support when any major clause of the draft treaties is challenged. Thus the Soviet feels able to count on nine votes—more than a third of the 21—which could prevent alterations if the two-thirds’ rule were strictly applied, but neither Mr Bevin nor Mr Byrnes takes Mr Molotov's rigid view of the treaties. They support the treaties in the main, and will defend them as much as they are able, but they believe a conference where every recommendation is doomed to failure to be no conference at all. Explaining the difference in the two types of votes provided in the British declaration, the correspondent quotes Mr Byrnes who said a recommendation passed by two-thirds would receive his full support in the “ Big Four.” A simple majority recommendation might win his support, and would certainly lead to reopening of the question.