Evening star., 1946-12-06
Axis Satellite Pacis
Virtually Completed
In Big Four ParIeys
By the Associated Press

Snarpeneo Dy many pltIer dlS
putes between Russia and th'
western powers, the Council O
Foreign Ministers today countet
the European satellite peac,
treaties virtually completed du'
mainly to sweeping last-minut,
concessions by Soviet Foreign
Minister Molotoy.
Final agreement on outstanding
issues was not reached, however
until Secretary Of State Byrnes hae
reluctantly accepted a proposal thai
Italy pay a total Of $3.50, 1000, 900 ir
reparations-s35, 100000 more thar
the Paris Peace Conference hao
recommended.
: Minor Points Up Today.
In a session scheduled for pm
today the Big Four was due to clean
up a number of relatively minor
unsettled points and to act on q
report from their Naval Commit
tee presumably concerning the dis
tribution of the Italian fleet among
Italy and the victorious Alice
powers.
According to decisions reached al
Paris, the Italians were supposed
to retain two battleships and q
number of other naval craft. The
remainder of the fleet, including
three battleships and five cruisers
was to be apportioned among the
Allies.
''It was a Big Four session last
night which finally swept away the
last points of dispute of any conse-
quence and made it possible for
diplomats participating in the Coun-
ellis work to predict that the treaties
for Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hun
gary and Finland would be finally
completed not later than Saturday
afternoon. The Council then is ex-
pected to move on to preliminary
discussion of a German settlement
Monday.
Outstanding Decisions.
Here are the outstanding decisions
made last night:
l. ReparationS-Italy is to pay a
total of $3.50 900, ,0OO-S125, ,O0o, 900 to
Yugoslavia, $1O5 100000 to Greece,
s10o 900 900 to Russia, $25, 600, 900 to
Ethiopia and $5,O0O,OOo to Albania.
Bulgaria is to pay total of S70,-
600, 900 covering $4,000, 900 to Yugo-
slavia and S45 10000 to Greece, so
that Greece and Yugoslavia each
will receive $150,000,000.
MIR. Byrnes was the last of the
four to accept this distribution OF
reparations payments because OF the
additional financial burden on Italy,
but finally declared that while he
did not like it he would not hold out
against it and thereby prevent the
conclusion of the peace treaties.
2. Compensation for Allied prop
erty destroyed in Italy-Italy is to
pay Allied citizens at the rate of
662a per cent of value. The Foreign
Ministers had agreed before the
Paris Conference that payment
should be 100 per cent. The Paris
Conference reduced this to rs per
cent and Mr.. Byrnes was reported
hopeful that the further reduction
here would ease somewhat the in
creased reparations assessed against
Italy.
Danube Provision Included.
3. Danube navigation-Mr. Molo-
TOW, yielding a point which he had
contested for months, agreed to in
clude In the Balkan treaties guar
antee of free use of the Danube
River. The Big -Four then decided
to issue, outside the treaties, call
for an international conference
within six months after the Balkan
treaties become effective to create a
navigation regime for the river.
4. Denial of treaty benefits-Mr.
Molotov accepted an American pro-
posal that any country which re-
fused to sign the treaty should not
receive benefits from it. Mr.. Byrnes
put this forward first at Paris when
Yugoslavia, protesting the interna-
tionalization of Trieste, threatened
TO refuse to sign. This provision
would deny her reparations from
italy unless she signed.
S. Fair prices for property seized
In Romania-Russia agreed to the
principle of arbitration in fixing
fair prices for industrial equipment
(mainly American and British
owned petroleum machinery seized
by the Romanian government for
reparations to Russia. Romania
must make compenSations for such
property and the decision means
that when diplomatic measures fail
to result in an acceptable price a
final decision may be made by an
umpire appointed by the Secretary
general of the United Nations.
6. Motor torpedo boats-Mr, Mol
otov withdrew a proposal that the
Balkan states should be allowed
motor torpedo boats although they
were forbidden to Italy. Mr.. Byrnes
insisted that such craft be permit
ted or denied in all the treaties
alike and Mr. MolotoV finally
agreed to this view.
Trieste Questions Off.
Among the questions left for set
tlement in today's session and to-
morrow are certain economic pro-
visions for the proposed free port
of Trieste, a request to the United
Nations assembly to authorize a
fund for the payment of salaries of
the governor of Trieste and his staff
and the method by which the
treaties may finally be signed.
Diplomats have said all along it
would not be possible to get them
ready for signing here.
Through last night the Foreign
Ministers had held lis meetings on
the peace treaties in New York
and Europe and their sessions in
New York alone totaled 26. Their
work began more than year ago
in London and several times over
such issues as the final disposition
of Trieste, which Italy and Yugo-
slavia both claimed, and the OPEN
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