Evening star., 1946-10-10
U.S.,BritainJ Join
In Bid 10 S|avs
To End Barriers
Bevin Aids Vondenbere
In Plea for Opening
Of Donube to Trade
by the Assoeioisd Press

PARIS, Oct. 10.-The United
States and Britain joined forces
today in calling on the Soviet
Union and the Slav states to re-
move a barrier between the east
and west with positive Peace
Conference action on opening
the Danube to free commerce.
Senator Vandenberg, Republican,
Of Michigan, led off the plenAry ses-
sion's deliberations on the Romanian
peace treaty draft by declaring q
Stree Danube is indispensable to
the economic health and peace Of
Central Europe" and that failure to
open Europe's most important in
land waterway would be a tragic,
reactionary mistake"
His plea brought a prompt re-
1oinder from Yugoslav Deputy Pre-
mier Edward Kardelj, who attacked
the majority report of the Balkans
Commission on two articles in the
draft dealing with the Danube. He
held that the conference was mot
competent to deal with the Danube
question" and said Yugoslavia de-
served greater Danubian role be-
cause 80 per cent of its course is
through Yugoslav territory"
Bevin Joins in Plea.
Senator Vandenberg was the first
speaker as the conference, with the
Italian treaty out of the way, took
up the second of the five drafts be-
fore it. He was joined in his plea
for free commerce on the Danube
and free trade throughout the Bal
kan nations by British Foreign Sec
retary Ernest Bevin.
THE task of rehabilitating Europe
is made infinitely more difficult," Mr..
Bevin said, so long as there Is a
barrier between the west and the
east in the Danube area and the
commercial interests of the west are
met in Romania by whole host of
discriminatory acts"
Mr.. Bevin said the Russian propo-
sal, which sought Ito restrict the
use of the Danube exclusively to the
countries along its banks, is not only
retrograde step, but a deliberate
discriminatory action against their
Allies"
"It is this policy which gives rise
to good deal of suspicion as to the
designs Of the Soviet Union in this
part Of the world" Mr.. Bevin said.
Action Held Needed Urgently.
Mr.. Bevin recalled yesterdays
statement by Soviet Foreign Minis
ter Molotov, that the division of the
east and west was approaching alb
surdity, and said that opening the
Danube would be a great opportu-
nifty to help remove that division.
He said some concerted interna-
tional action was needed urgently to
prevent the Danube from deteriorat-
ing, because portions Of it were silt
ing up rapidly and might soon be
impossible to major shipping.
"It has long been established" he
said, that for their varied COM
merce with other nations outside
the Danube Basin, the maintenance
of free navigation and of conserv-
ancy measures on this great river
by some international body is neces-
sary."
Turning to Romania's domestic
affairs, Mr.. Bevin declared Britain
was mot content to sit by and see
in Romania the interests of the
United Nations squeezed out and
placed in a position, by discrimina-
tory legislation, where they cannot
survive"
. MoIotov Makes Reply.
Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov,
presiding, once again stepped down
from the rostrum, and replied that
peace treaties with former enemy
states were not the proper places
for dealing with problems affecting
Allied nations.
"The question of an interna-
tiona1 regime also applies to other
states which were our Allies and
on whom we cannot impose such
a settlement" Mr.. Molotov de-
clared, supporting the Yugoslav
view.
Mot one of the states which de-
sires the internationalization of the
Danube cares about the sovereignty
of the riparian states"
Mr.. Niolotov charged that the
British American attitude was
Western imperialism in new guise:
1--WE are told" he said, "that in
ternationalization of the Danube
was established in 1856. I can tell
Senator Vandenberg that at the time
of the Paris Conference in 1856.
slavery still existed in the United
States
"Mr. Bevin said that Great Britain
(See CONFERENCE, Page A-16)