Time Now Ripe for Consolidation of Western Europe

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26677, 24 January 1948, Page 7

Time Now Ripe for Consolidation of Western Europe

Russia, rather than risk Eastern Europe joining the Marshall Plan in a great co-operative movement, preferred to risk the. creation of a possible organisation in the West—a Western-union, said Mr Bevin,' due-? ing the foreign- affairs debate. It was no secret that at the Paris conference Mr Molotov threatened Britain and France that they would have to look out for squalls if they proceeded with the Marshall Plan. “Quite quietly I told him that Britain had been accustomed to threats, that we had faced them and that w e should not allow them to prevent us from doing what we thought right.” Russia thought she could wreck or intimidate Western Europe by political upsets, economic chaos, , and even revolutionary methods, Mr Bevin said. Now a new situation had arisen, but in forming a united Western Europe they must - move a step at’ a time because they were dealing with free 1 nations. “ l believe the time is ripe for the consolidation of Western Europe. Our representatives in Brussels, The Hague, and Luxemburg, were -instructed on January 21 to propose in concert with their French colleagues, talks and ways of developing our relations with the Benelux countries. We are thinking of Western Europe as a unit.” said Mr Bevin. “ I hope treaties will be signed with, the Benelux countries, making our treaty with France an important nucleus in Western Europe,” Mr Bevin said., “We shall have to associate other historic countries, including the new Italy, in this great conception.” Mr Bevin said the organisation of Western Europe must be economically supported by the closest possible cooperation between the British Commonwealth and the overseas territories of Britain, France. Holland, Belgium, and Portugal. There was no need for conflict in this matter with the United States and Russia. Western European countries could co-operate economically to develop their overseas territories under the priorities system which would create the most effective and lasting results for the world. “ This tremendous co-operation would stretch through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to the Far East.” Mr Bevin said he believed the nations of the British Commonwealth would be willing to co-operate in this great effort.

Reuter’s diplomatic, correspondent says the conference is likely to be called to negotiate a Western'union. A conference would be held either in London or Paris, probably with the Foreign Ministers of' Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Italy, and Portugal participating. Political observers believe that the Benelux countries were chosen as the first prospective partners in the western union because they were obviously qualified to participate in any eventual control of the Ruhr. The Brussels correspondent of The Times says it was announced that Belgium will ask Holland and Luxemburg to join her in a joint response to the Anglo-French proposal to extend the Anglo-French alliance to Benelux. Mr Bevin, referring to the Japanese Peace Treaty, said that Russia was in the Pacific war only a few days yet wanted to take a predominant position over Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Burma, and the Netherlands, who fought all the way through. Mr Bevin added that he hoped the Soviet Government would accept a conference of the countries . involved instead of having the Council of Foreign Ministers deal with the treaty. Referring to the Iraq announcement that the Anglo-Iraq Treaty would not be ratified, Mr Bevin said he thought there must have been a misunderstanding in Bagdad which the Iraq delegates . should be able to remove on their return. “I hope this treaty will serve as a model for the development of mutual defence arrangements. Mr Bevin said the United States had been misrepresented in propaganda as the “ Shylock of Wall Street.” Actually the Americans were moved by goodwill and generosity. He praised the great-heartedness of the American people as expressed in the European recovery programme. It was sound sense for the Americans to spend money rebuilding a healthy Europe instead of waiting for poverty and disease to pave the way for war. Britain wanted a central but not the over-centralised German Government for which the Soviet was pressing. Britain, France, and the United States intended to try to achieve German currency reform on a Four Power basis to make their three zones work economically.