Russia Wants To Frame Agenda For Foreign Ministers' Council Entirely With The U.S.A.

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 May 1949, Page 5

Russia Wants To Frame Agenda For Foreign Ministers' Council Entirely With The U.S.A.

Agrees That Formation Of West Government Need Not Stop

NEW YORK, April 30 (Rec. 7.20 pm).—Mr. Jacob Malik (Russia) gave his tacit agreement on Friday to a stipulation of the Western Powers that the proposed meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the German question must not interfere with their plans for the establishment of a West German Government, says the New York “Times” United Nations’ correspondent. Persons in close touch with negotiations between Mr. Malik and Dr. J.essup (United States) said that at their meeting on Friday Mr. Malik also gave new assurances that Russia would raise the blockade of Berlin on the two conditions previously announced

by the Tass News Agency: (1) That the Western Powers | should simultaneously remove counter-measures which they have imposed on communications with Soviet-occupied territory. (2) That they should agree to a date for the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the German question. Although some sources expect a long struggle within the Council of Foreign Ministers it was learned that the principal difficulty which de- . veloped on Friday was the insistence of Mr. Malik that he and Dr. Jessup should work out between themselves details connected with the lifting of the blockade and determining the agenda of the “Big Four” meeting. After their two meetings this week, Dr. Jessup immediately reported the conversations to Sir Alexander Cadogan and M. Jean Chauvel, British and French representatives to the United Nations, but he is understood to have insisted to Mr Malik on Friday that the two other Ambassadors should take part in the subseqquent discus- 1 Bions. Malik explained this preference for procedure, which has been followed until now, on the ground that it would save time. However, some delegates recalled that Marshal Stalin, in an interview with the International News Service in February had suggested Russia and the United States should settle the Berlin dispute themselves. Why Russia hopes to persuade the United States to agree upon these prelim'nary steps without t e erect participation of Britain and France is unknown, but it was learned that the two other delegations were highly pleased with the way Dr. Jessup insisted upon their participation. Dr. Jessup is understood to agree with the viewpoint of the British and French delegates that the agenda and date of the Council of Foreign Ministers should be decided at a meeting □f the “Big Four” representatives as soon as possible. As the conversations are still in the explanatory stages it is understood that nothing in writing has passed between Dr. Jessup and Mr. Malik. Because of the absence of British and French representatives, Dr. Jessup refused to discuss a long list of specific

. items Mr. Malik had proposed on Friday for inclusion on the agenda of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. The New York “Times” Washington correspondent, meanwhile, reports that Dr Jessup will have other meetings with Mr. Malik on the blockade problem, thereby indicating that final official decisions have yet to be : reached in negotiations. A State Depart vent spokesman described the neIgotiations so far as “satisfactory.” The New York “Times” diplomatic correspondent reports from Washington that although United States Government officials agree with President Truman that the Russians are negotiating in good faith, to end the blockade, they are privately sceptical and tend to assume the worst. What (concerns officials is the purpose be!hind the Russian proposals Officials fear that by pretending to be reasonable and promising the Germans power, political independence and freedom, the Russians might block the integration of Western Germany into Western Europe and eventually negotiate a Russo-German alliance. i “Having failed to get us out of Germany by the application of force, officials in Washington believe they are seeking to negotiate us out of there by appeal to the German people,” Xys the correspondent. The correspondent says that the United States is not prepared to scrap its plans for a West German Government on the promise that the Russians will one day permit a safe and workable Government of all of Germany to operate. “The United. States is not going to make any agreements for the sake of agreeing,” says the correspondent. “It is not going to make concessions because the situation in its zone of Germany is deteriorating. It is not prepared to sign agreements which depend on day-to-day consent of the Russians for success.” A United States spokesman said Dr. Jessup, after reporting to the State Department, would “go over the meeting” with the British and French representatives, Sir Alexander Cadogan and M. Jean Chauvel. If the negotiatiations proceed smoothly it is expected a Four-Power meeting will be held ' in New York next week to settle details for a meeting of the Council of Foregn Ministers.