Evening star., 1946-07-05
.Biq a Ministers Draft
Invitations for Paris
Peace Talks July S
Agreement on Italian
Reporotions Clears Lost
Obstacle to Setting Dote
Rx the Associuted Pres,

PARIS, July 5.-The Foreign
Ministers of the Big Four drafted
invitations today for q general
European peace conference. to be
held in Paris July % for debate
on treaties intended to end
World War II for Italy and the
Axis satellites.
In 7-hour-and-40-m minute ses-
sion which lasted into the early
hours this morning, the diplomatic
representatives of Great Britain,
France, Soviet Russia and the
United States reached agreement on
Italian reparations-the final major
point blocking preparation of treaty
drafts-and fixed the date for the
peace conference.
The deputy foreign ministers as
sembled IS am, EST to draw up
a suggested invitation for submits
sion to their chiefs at 4 pm. 90
am. EST.
Work on Five Treaties.
An American source said that.
after approving the wording and
before tackling the German treaty,
the ministers probably would clean
up odds and ends in the five treaty
drafts-for Italy, Finland, Romania
Hungary and Bulgaria - they will
submit to the conference.
, The 2l-nation general conference
composed of Australia, Belgium,
Brazil, Byelo-Russia, Canada, China,
Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia. France,
Great Britain, Greece, India, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway
Poland, the Ukraine, the Union of
South Africa. the Soviet Union, the
United States and Yugoslavia-will
not have the final say on the treaties.
Russia has insisted on strict ad-
herence to the terms of the Mos
COW agreement of last December,
under which the Big Four are to
draw up the final treaties after
studying the advice of the peace
conference.
Secretary of State James F.
/ ByrneS, British Foreign Secretary
Ernest Bevin and French Foreign
Minister Georges Bidault all have
indicated that they intend to press
for serious consideration of the ad-
vice of the conferees when the
Council meets again after the peace
conference to complete the final
treaties.
Settle Italian Reparations.
The ministers settled their last
major conflict-Italian reparations.
BY an agreement providing that
Italy must pay Russia 100000, 900
from munitions factories, from her
assets abroad and from current pro-
ductlon over a seven-year period
Italy was given two-year period
OF grace beginning the payments
from current production, however.
The only item now on the agenda
which still might cause trouble was
the issue of freedom of navigation
on the Danube
! The last time they discussed this
question the ministers apparently
were settled on proposal that the
Council declare that freedom of nav
igation on the river should be OBJ
served. Mr.. Bevin announced, how
ever, that he wanted more time to
study the question and has not
made known his position since.
Before winding up their current
session the ministers also have to
discuss the Austrian question and
the present political situation in
Italy, the latter placed on the
agenda at Russia's request Discus
sion of these questions - together
with the problems of peace for Ger
many-were expected to occupy the
ministers virtually until the eve of
the peace conference
Partial Molotov Victory.
| Settlement of. the reparations
question represented a partial VIC
tory for Russian Foreign Minister
Vyacheslav M. Molotov, who had
insisted that some reparations come
from current production. Mr.
Byrnes and Mr.. Bevin succeeded in
gaining the two-year moratorium,
however.
BY the same token, the fixing of
a date for the peace conference
was a victory for Byrnes. who has
threatened to toss the whole ques-
tion of the peace into the lap OF
the United Nations General As
sembly if Russia persisted in her
refusal to approve general peace
conference this summer.
The date-over which the minis
ters deadlocked when three diff
ferent dates were suggested-was
fixed on by Bidault compromise
proposed at a Commute extra-cur-
ricular session during a recess ir
Mr. Bidault's office.
The ministers also decided last
night that reparations claims OF
Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and