Evening star., 1946-10-20
Three Vital Issues Left
To Face Foreign Ministers
Peace Conference, Accomplishing Little,but Airing
of Discord, Ends With Trieste and Dan.
ubian Problems Up to -Four Powers
Bv Ne.cbold Noyes, J.,

solve. There are other points of dis
agreement, involving reparations, oil
prices and the like, but they are sec
ondary. The primary issues are these:
(One)-Will the free territory Of
Trieste, in the final analysis, be can
trolled by the governor. an international
officer appointed by the U. N. Security
Council, or will ultimate control of the
territory be left in the hands of the
local populace?
The Western powers think the situa-
ton is so explosive in this strategically
critical area at the head of the Adriatic
Sea that final say must rest with the
international authority. 1t also happens
that the Western powers are in more
powerful position on the Security Coun-
Gil than they are locally.
Russia wants the final say to be
democratic-that Is, resting with the
inhabitants of the area and expressed
by their popularity elected assembly. 1t
also happens that Russia is in more
powerful position locally than it is on
he'Security Council.
ube River, Central Europe's great water
way, be controlled by general interna-
tional authority or will it be controlled
by the Danubian states, separately or
together?
Again the western powers are out for
general international control, arguing
history shows the region cannot prosper
otherwise. Again Russia insists that
control be exercised by those locally
concerned, charging that the western
powers want only to make money out of
her sphere Of influence.
(Three)-In the Central European ex-
enemy states will all United Nations
get the same economic treatment as
Russia gets-where. for example, tarin
rates are concerned-or will these econ
omies be tied closely to those Of neigh
boring states and to the Russian econ
omy, to the relative exclusion Of the
outside world?
The western powers want to open
the Danube basin to their trade, so far
as is possible, by writing Most Favored
Nation" clauses into the peace treaties
They back their case with arguments
involving equal rights for all and the
whole "one world" concept. Russia
strongly resists this threat to her eco
nomic hegemony in the area, again
udenouncing capitalist attempts at lex
ploitation" and "enslavement" Of Eu-
ropes young democracies.
Win on Two Issues.
At the Peace Conference, the western
view won q two-thirds majority on the
first two issues. 1t failed to win two
thirds majority on the third.
If We assume, as we seem justified in
doing, that the Russians are not simply
going to yield to us on all three points,
Either an overall compromise will be
reached, with both sides sacrificing in
order to achieve working peace settle
ment for Europe, or else the treaties
will leave unsettled the major issues
which we have described.
A sober look at the situation strongly
suggests that the best we can hope for
from the Russians is that they will go
along with us on Trieste-and under
take in so doing to keep the Yugoslavs
in line-in exchange for tacit recog-
milton of their predominant interest in
the Danubian economy.
A deal of this sort would involve such
heavy sacrifices on our part, both in
principle and in tangible interests, that
it may be doubted whether 1t is better
from our point Of view than no deal.
But it would involve Russian sacri-
fees approximately equal to ours, and
1t has the merit of corresponding to the
power realities of the situation. And it
may be, and many here think it will be,
the only possible answer, if an answer
is to be found.
The Paris record indicates, further
would only be achieved with the great
est difficulty.
Perhaps the most hopeful develop
ment to have come out of the Luxem-
bourg interlude is Big -Four agreement
to start talking about Germany before
the Foreign Ministers leave New York.
whether or not they have been able to
resolve their differences with regard to
the five satellite treaties<
Perhaps it may yet turn out that
agreement between Russia and the west
on Europe's central problem-Germany
may cut the Gordian knot of disagree
ment on the peripheral problems in
volved in the satellite treaties.