Evening star., 1946-06-28
Big 4 Ministers Meet
Today for Discussion
OF 5 Peace Treaties
BY the Associated Press

PARIS, June 28.-The Big Four
Foreign Ministers assembled for
a free-forall session today on
f1ve peace treaties in a last
minute effort to clear the decks
for 1-nation peace conference
IN Paris next month.
The Ministers. considerably en-
couraged by the solution yesterday
of the Dodecanese Islands and the
French-Italian border questions, in
structed their deputies to bring in
skeleton drafts of peace pacts for
Italy. Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary
and Finland for todays session.
A British source said that with all
i've treaties before them, the Min
listers would be able to take up any
topic they desired. This might lead
to further discussion of the knotty
problem of Trieste, considered the
key to solving the remaining issues
:Many Issues Fundamental.
Many of these issues were funda-
mental. They included reparations
and colonial issues, as well as the
division OF surplus naval units. and
compensation of Allied nationals for
destruction of their property in Italy
On the Balkan treaties, the princi-
pal problems concerned freedom of
navigation on the Danube and free
dom Of commerce with Balkan ma
tions There were no fundamental
points to disagreement ON the Fin
nish treaty.
A British source commented that
despite yesterdays fruitful session
at which the Italian-oWned Dode-
canese Islands in the Aegean Sea
were awarded to Greece and the
Tenda and Briga regions on the
French-Italian border to France
1t seemed doubtful that the min
listers could meet their self-imposed
deadline for completion of work on
the five treaties today. He expressed
doubt also that the peace confer
ence could be called for July Is but
said it might be convened later in
the summer.
Settlement of the French Italian
frontier question also included rati-
hcatlon by the foreign ministers of
the award to France of Mount Cenis. |
agreed on at the April meet |
1ngs OF the ministers; the passes of |
little Saint Bernard and Larche. and |
an area around Bardonneche.
Delegates Are Elated.
ed as they emerged from the long
session yesterday and one source
said that Secretary of State Byrnes
exclaimed at one point:
Il IL need a couple of minutes to |
catch my breath to recover from |
the shock"
A special commission was sum-
moned prior to the minister's meet
ing to try and iron out the differ /
ences as to who should rule Italy's
colonies during the year of grace
given the commission to break the
deadlock on the problem.
The Russians insisted Yesterday
that four-poWer councils be set I'D
IN each colony to rule, but the |
British insisted that the ministers
had decided that the present occu-
pylng power should administer each
colony under four power supervi-
sion. Britain now occupies Somali-
land. Eritrea and Libya.
Demilitarization Provision.
The agreement on the Dodecanese
--consummated by the unexpected
Russian acceptance of an American
proposal-included a provision for
demilitarization, an American in
formant said, while the agreement
to turn over the Tenda and Bripa |
regions to France-on the specific
suggestion OF Russian Foreign Min
lister Vyacheslav M. Molotov-stip-
ulated that Italy would continue to
receive electricity from the HYDRO |
electric plants in the valleys.
Lengthy discussion of the problem
OF freedom of navigation on the |
Danube was fruitleSs. but agreement
was reached to limit Bulgarias s
navy to 1880 tons and $500 men.