RUSSIA BRANDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27389, 15 May 1950, Page 5

RUSSIA BRANDED

' Sole Aggressive Power In World BIG THREE MINISTERS New Zealand Press Association—Copyright Rec. 9.19 p.m. LONDON, May 13. The Big Three Foreign Ministers tonight branded Russia as the “ sole militarist aggressive Power in the world,” and announced that they agreed on the main lines of their policy in all parts of the world. Two communiques came from the statesmen after their three-day study, hemisphere by hemisphere, of the cold war. One, containing the attack on Moscow, was a general review of their conclusions and the other told of new plans to aid migration from the over-populated nations of Europe, especially Germany and Italy. Their declaration on Germany’s future will be kept secret until Monday so that the West German Government can first study it. Diplomatic observers considered the denunciation of the Soviet Government to be far the strongest yet made by the Big Three. They took it to mean:— 1. The Western Powers are sure now that Russia will not drop the cold war. 2. A fresh approach to Moscow would be doomed to failure. 3. The peace mission to Moscow of the United Nations Chief, Mr Trygve Lie, is unlikely to achieve positive results.

The features of the two communiques were:— 1. The main and common purposes of the talks has been to reduce the risk of war and establish conditions of lasting peace. 2. The Ministers planned closer co-ordination of the joint resources of the three Powers without endangering their social and material standards. 1 3. They intended to support the new independent nations of South-east Asia and would take - every opportunity of exposing Communist imperialism, in the serious situation developing there. The Ministers considered that the South-east Asia region as a whole is economically under-developed. All Governments in the region should get together on development plans designed to raise the standard of living. 4. Experts have been appointed to study the problems of surplus population’ in Western Europe and have been charged with the production of additional plans for migration, particularly from Italy 'and Germany. 5. The three Governments were basically agreed as to the importance of the political development of the peoples of Africa and improved economic and social conditions there. There should be close co-operation between Britain and France, other African Powers, and the United States. 8. Consultations between the three Powers should be more frequent. The Ministers agreed to meet again soon, possibly in New York before the next meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. . The general communique, declaring that the strength of the free world would never be used for aggressive purposes, stated: .“The Ministers find it necessary to restate this fundamental truth 'in case of a calculated campaign of misrepresentation of our purposes and policies conducted by the only militaristic and aggressive Power in the world.” . ... In a passage dealing with the vital South-east Asia front in the cold war, the Ministers said they had decided to get together to prevent the smuggling of arms into the area. An American spokesman said later that there had been quite a traffic in arms in me Far East, apart from that originating in Communist China. Experts on South-east Asia attended the talks today, including the Commonwealth Relations Minister, Mr P. C. Gordon-Walker. It is understood that the discussions included the part which the Commonwealth countries could play in assisting the economic recovery of the backward countries of South-east Asia and thus create resistance to Communism. ■ The Ministers last night announced in a communique that they had agreed to stand by their policy of maintaining their rights in Berlin. The communique “ noted with surprise and deep concern ” Russia s statement that the repatriation of German prisoners of war had been completed. „ The declaration dealing with Berlin stated: “ The three Western occupation Powers will continue to uphold their rights in Berlin. “ They are resolved now, as in the past, to protect the democratic rights of the inhabitants, and will co-operate with the German authorities to improve to the utmost the economic position of the Western sectors. “Meanwhile the three Governments will continue to seek the reunification of the city in free elections in order that Berlin may take a due place in a free united Germany.” Dealing with war prisoners, the communique said: “ The three Foreign Ministers have noted with surprise and deep concern the Soviet statement of May 4, which declared that the repatriation of German prisoners of war from the Soviet Union to Germany had been completed. They recall the repeated efforts made by the three western occupation Powers to secure the Soviet Government’s compliance with the quadpartite agreement to repatriate all German prisoners of war by December 31, 1948. “ The Soviet statement stands in sharp contradiction to the fact that a very large number of German families are still awaiting the return of their relatives taken prisoner, of whom they have had direct news during captivity in the Soviet Union. “The Ministers note, furthermore, the inconsistencies among the scant data furnished at different times by the Soviet Government concerning the numbers, whereabouts, and fate of German prisoners of war and deported civilians. This situation reveals a grave disregard for human rights. It is, moreover, apparent that this is not an isolated incident, since the Soviet Government had also failed to repatriate numerous nationals of Ger-man-occupied countries taken prisoner during the war, as well as more than 300.000 Japanese nationals, who still remain unaccounted for in Soviet territory. “ The Ministers have agreed that they will take all possible steps to obtain information on the fate of prisoners of war and civilians not yet repatriated from the Soviet Union, and to bring about repatriation in the largest possible number of cases.”