PEACE TALKS DILEMMA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27059, 19 April 1949, Page 5

PEACE TALKS DILEMMA

COMMUNIST CROSSING OF YANGTSE

NATIONALIST LEADERS MEET

NZPA—Reuter—Copyright NANKING, Apl. 17. Nationalist leaders met to-night to consider a solution of the dilemma reached in the secret Peiping peace talks as a result of the Communist insistence on bringing Red forces south of the Yangtse River after the peace settlement. Details of the Communist desire to supervise the reorganisation of the Nationalist armies were brought to Nanking by one of the peace delegates. According to Nanking sources, no serious obstacles to a successful conclusion of the peace agreement have been raised by the Communists apart from their demand to come south of the Yangtse. Nationalist leaders are still believed to be strongly opposed to this demand, but they said they were still optimistic that a compromise will be found.

The Communist radio announced that Wednesday had been fixed as the deadline for the Nationalist acceptance of the Communist peace programme. Underlining their three-day ultimatum, the Communists on the north bank of the Yangtse River today launched a new offensive against the Nationalist positions in the Chinkiang sector. The Nationalist military news agency said the Nationalists evacuated two bridgeheads north-east of Chinkiang. Simultaneously with the new offensive. Red artillery began a bombardment of the south bank of the Yangtse.