Evening star., 1946-09-22
S|av Bloc Fights
'0i| Safeguards
'InRomaniaPact
Conference Will Get
Question Of Tie Vote
On Protection Clauses
By the Associated Pres.

pean Peace Conference hit a new
snag today as the Slav bloc,
spearheaded by Russia, contest
ed vigorously a proposal to give
special protection in Romania to
British and other foreign oil
companies.
After an unprecedented seven
hours of debate over a parliamentary
tangle, the Balkan Economic Com
mission decided to refer to confer
ence authorities the question of
whether a TT tie vote on oil clauses
proposed for the Romanian treaty
was Legitimate ballot"
Senator Vandenberg, Republican
of Michigan, American delegate,
said the situation presented by the
prolonged debate was fantastic" "
The British-proposed annex to the
Romanian treaty would require that
country to restore or replace Allied
nationals property losses in oil fields,
annul discriminatory legislation and
admit key administrative officials
and technical experts into the
country to operate the wells.
Italo- Austrian Pact O.K.'d.
In other conference actions today
the Italian Political Commission ap-
proved, l3 to 6, the recent Italo-
Austrian agreement granting much
local autonomy to German-speaking
residents of the South Tyrol.
Opposition came from the Slav
states, who in the same meeting
criticized an American amendment
to the Italian treaty which would
require Italy's neighbors to respect
fundamental human rights in terri
tories obtained from Italy. Despite
the Siav opposition the amendment
was passed by vote of IA to 6.
Hitting at statements by Senator
Connally, Democrat, Tex, in favor
of the proposal, which would apply
to areas ceded to Yugoslavia. Greece
and France, Yugoslav Delegate Ales
Bebler said:
i don't think Senator Connally
would agree to permitting this clause
to apply in the United States. There
are certain nations here which still
make a distinction among citizens
because of color and race"
u. s. Votes With Slavs.
The American position on the oil
clauses for the Romanian treaty
was that special provisions for pc
troleum properties were not needed
because such interests already were
covered by general clauses on prop
erty rights of Allied nationals.
The United States joined the Slav
bloc-Russia, White Russia, Ukraine,
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia-in
opposing the first two paragraphs
in the proposed annex, which was
supported by Britain, Australia.
Canada, India, New Zealand, South
Africa and Greece.
France joined the British bloc
on the third paragraph after ab-
staining on the first two ballots
then switched 10 the other side
of the fourth paragraph, causing
a TT tie. The same deadlock
occurred in vote on the annex
as a whole.
Senator Vandenberg then declared
that the chairman, Josef Korbel of
Czechoslovakia, had erred in sub
mltting all four paragraphs in a
vote on the whole. The tie vote
brought the commission to a halt.
with Soviet Representative Fedor
Gusev arguing stoutly that the Brit
ish proposals had actually been
defeated.
The commission decided to meet
tomorrow morning in the first Sun
day commission meeting of the
conference.
Bevin Returns From London.
British Foreign Secretary Bevin
returned to the conference from
London late today and presumably
will be here for next weeks sessions
Secretary of State Byrnes and Mr..
oSFiii SolllCllCo lol lIldll dIi
hour tonight. In the absence of any
announcement on the subject of
their talk, there was speculation
that it concerned only methods of
speeding up the conference.
With only two weeks remaining
on the schedule of the conference
commissions, the big problem OF
settling the Trieste issue and the
Yugoslav border with Italy remained
unsolved.
AS the conference ended it's eighth
week the belief persisted in numer-
GUS quarters that final agreement
satisfactory to Yugoslavia lay in
direct negotiations between the en-
voys of Rome and Belgrade. The
Italian ENJOYS were still keeping in
contact with representatives of
Yugoslavia, despite the latter's state
ments that direct conversations
would be premature.