OTHER DECISIONS TO BE MADE KNOWN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 304, 26 December 1945, Page 5

OTHER DECISIONS TO BE MADE KNOWN

COMMENT ON TREATY MAKING Recd. 12.23 a.m. London, Dec. 25. The Foreign Ministers indicated that shortly they will announce decisions on other matters of world-wide interest, says the Associated Press' Moscow correspondent. Meanwhile the interim report says the conversations are proceeding in a friendly spirit. The Foreign Ministers reached a compromise agreement on the procedures for the negotiat on of peace treaties, firstly because Britain and America have yielded to Russia's insistence that the “Big Three” only should negotiate with Germany’s European Allies, with France joining in in the case of Italy; secondly, because Russia has partially yielded to the British-American view by agreeing that all the “Big Five’’ should invite other Allies to the conference for discussion of the peace terms. The correspondent adds that this is regarded as a fair compromise between lhe position taken by the opposing sides at the London meeting ot the "Big Three” in September and October.

The report on the agreement, on treaty-making outlines the following procedure, says Reuter's Moscow correspondent:— Firstly, the Foreign Ministers’ deputies are immediately resuming work in London on the basis of the agreement reached on the questions discussed at the first session of the Counci of Foreign Ministers in London in September; secondly, the “Big Five,’ ‘together with all members of the United Nations, which actively waged war with substantial military forces against European enemy States,” will consider treaties at the conference; thirdly, the “Big Three” and France will draw up the final texts of the respective treaties; fourthly, the treaties will be signed as stated; fifthly, the texts of the treaties will be submitted to other united nations; sixthly, the treaties will come into force immediately after they are ratified by the "Big'Three’’ and France in the case of the treaty with Italy and treaties subject to ratification by enemy States in question. Mr. Bevin and Sir A. Clark-Kerr met Generalissimo Stalin in his office in the Kremlin on Christmas Eve and had a discussion which a British spokesman described as friendly and helpful. Mr. Bevin also visited Lenin’s tomb. Stalin later gave a banquet for Mr. Bevin, Mr. Byrnes and Mr. Molotov and leading members of the British and American delegations. Mans toasts were drunk and a cordial atmosphere prevailed.