Britain Accuses Russians Of Breaches of Agreement To Lift Berlin Blockade

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27091, 27 May 1949, Page 5

Britain Accuses Russians Of Breaches of Agreement To Lift Berlin Blockade

New Zealand Press Association—Reuter—Copyright >Rec. 10 p.m. BERLIN, May 26. The official British statement to-day charged the Soviet with deliberately breaking the New York agreement on the lifting of the Berlin blockade. The statement said: “Whereas the Western Powers have scrupulously observed the agreement, the Soviet Government has followed a policy of obstruction, even to the imposition of new restrictions which represent a breach of the New York agreement.”

The statement cites nine restrictions to inter-zonal traffic imposed by the Soviet. Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, the British Foreign Undersecretary, Major C. P. Mayhew, said the Soviet authorities had imposed or retained a number of restrictions on traffic to and from Berlin since the blockade was lifted on May 12. He said that individuals these may appear to be insignificant or technical but collectively their effect had been to limit the volume of supplies entering Berlin They included: First, the insistence that all trains proceeding to Berlin must be drawn by Soviet zone locomotives manned by Soviet zone crews

Secondly, Soviet officers have been permanently installed at a number of western sector stations dealing with Allied traffic and were insisting upon supervising the working of trains. Thirdly, Soviet authqrities had stated that only the Helmstedt line may be used for traffic to Berlin. Before the blockade they permitted traffic to pass by alternative routes Fourthly, Soviet authorities contended that they were only obliged to provide facilities for a total of 16 Allied passenger and freight trains to Berlin daily. Fifthly, they had insisted upon a new system of documentation and registration for barges entering from the western zone. The documents required had bedn forthcoming in very limited numbers.