ANOTHER PLAN FOR TRIESTE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 150, 1 July 1946, Page 5

ANOTHER PLAN FOR TRIESTE

FOUR-POWER CONTROL Recd. 11 p.m. London, June 30. Another plan has been put forward for the control of the city of Trieste by M. Bidault (France). No finality has been reached on the matter by the Foreign Ministers of the “Big Four” Powers, who are to meet to consider the plan. Neither have the Ministers been to come to any decision as to the date of calling the Peace Conference of 21 nations. The “Exchange Telegraph” correspondent in Paris gives M. Bidault’s plan as follows: (1) Trieste and the neighbouring territories should be administered by the four Powers, with Italy and Yugoslavia. (2) A governor should be nominated by Italy and Yugoslavia, failing agreement by the four Powers. (3) The territory should have a Legislative Assembly elected by secret ballot and universal franchise. (4) The four Powers, with Italy and Yugoslavia, should appoint a Council of Government of six members to perform the administration. (5) The rights of the inhabitants as to language, schools, and admission to public services should be assured. (6) The representatives of the four Powers on the Security Council should be a supervisory body. (7) The four Powers, before the end of ten years, should review the position. Mr. Bevin (Britain) declared that although he was instructed to support the Italian claim to Trieste, he was willing to give the plan most serious study. Mr. Molotov (Russia) said he was not. satisfied with the temporary character of the plan, which would lead to instability and adversely affect Yugoslavia’s national settlement. He added he was willing to take the French plan as a basis for discussion. “More Government per square inch than in any other area in the world.” This was Senator Vandenberg’s comment on M. Bidault’s proposals. The Foreign Ministers’ Council, after a four-hour meeting, dissolved with no decision reached regarding the holding of a European Peace Conference, or on the Trieste question, says the Associated Press correspondent in Paris. The Ministers deferred until tomorrow a decision on calling the Peace Conference. The Council also decided to discuss to-morrow M. Bidault’s (France) proposals for the internationalisation of Trieste. In a heated debate on the fixing of the date of the Peace Conference, Mr. Byrnes (U.S.A.) pointed out that Mr. Molotov* (Russia) already had agreed to refer to the Peace Conference the question of the Bulgarian border and also Greek reparations claims against Italy. Mr. Byrnes suggested that it was only issues where decisions might be unfavourable to Russia that Mr. Molotov refused to submit to all the Allies in the conference. Mr. Bevin (Britain) emphasised the discontent among the 21 nations that the date was not settled. “The Dominions Governments can’t*’ understand why this is not already done,” he said. Mr. Byrnes said: “I am not going to sit. here day after day if each subject is to be deferred, or handed over to the deputies.” The Ministers reached an agreement in principal on the new proposal about the freedom of navigation on the Danube made by M. Bidault. Mr. Molotov* previously objected to Mr. ! Bevins proposal on the ground that . it was unfair to Danubian countries. Mr. Bevin proposed that navigation ' should be free on the basis of i complete equality for all nations. M. Bidault is now proposing that naviga- , tion, so far as traffic and conditions of commercial navigation are concerned, should be on a footing of equalitv fori all nations.