Evening star., 1946-05-02
Big 4 Farley Ceases
Formal Sessions 10
Speed Agreements
By the Associoted Pr>sx

PARIS, May 2-FormaI sessions
of the Foreign Ministers Confer
ence were suspended indefinitely to-
day and the four Ministers decided
to hold only daily informal meet
1ngs in the future, qualified Amer
lean sources said.
French Foreign Minister Georges
Bidault expressed dissatisfaction at
the progress Of the Council in writ
ing Europe's peace treaties, and
was supported in this view by Sec
retary of States Byrnes, an Amer
ican informant said.
The Frenchman then proposed
and the Council decided that in
the future the four Ministers would
meet informally at Luxembourg Pal
ace In the office of the chief Of the
delegation, who normally would
preside over formal sessions.
First Informal Session Today.
The first such informal meeting
was scheduled for pm. today in
Mr. Byrnes' Office.
The American spokesman said no
formal sessions had been scheduled
for the future.
There was no hint OF a break
down in the negotiations. The Min
listers felt they could get along more
swiftly in informal meetings, the
procedure that was adopted during
their Moscow conference last De-
cember when a similar situation
arose, the American source said.
Yugoslavia Gets Islands.
The four ministers were reported
by British. sources. to have agreed
today to award Yugoslavia string
of Dalmatian islands along the
Eastern Adriatic coast. The min
listers provided that the territory
should be demilitarized. The Ital-
ian island of Pelagosa was given to
Yugoslavia, but italian fishing rights
were guaranteed. Italy was allowed
to keep Pianosa, but it, too, must be
demilitarized.
Russian Foreign Minister V. M.
Molotov opposed suggestion to
insert in the italian peace treaty
a proposal forcing italy to turn over
war criminals as requested. The
suggestion was backed by Mr..
Byrnes, British Foreign Secretary
Ernest Bevin and Mr.. Bedault. It
was dropped.
italian Premier Alcide de Gasperi
Is expected to testify tomorrow after
noon at his own request. A Yugoslav
delegation is to be heard tomorrow
morning.
Last Week for Germany.
Usually well-informed conference
observers predicted that the con-
ference, beginning its second week,
would continue for about two more
weeks. They said the coming week
probably would be devoted to Italian
and Balkan peace treaties, with the
Balkan pacts ranning over into the
third week. Tsley expressed belief,
however, that Aost of the final week
would be given over to a study of
German problems.
There had been some hope that
the French-Italian frontier issue, on
which little disagreement had been
reported, might be completed by the !
Council today and that the future
of the Dodecanese Islands and the
italian colonies might be discussed
again.
The Councils commission sent to
study the Tenda and Briga areas on
the border reached the region only
yesterday, however, and was not ex-
pected to report back until Saturday.
Dispatches said the commission
found the regions solidly decked
with Italian flags. The localities are
claimed by France.
Taking of Colonies Protested.
Substantial disagreement still ex-
listed on the question of the italian
colonies, especially Libya, for which
the British have proposed inde-
pendence; the French, and italian
trusteeship; the United States, a
United Nations trusteeship; and
Russia, a dual trusteeship for each
colony under one of the big powers
with Italian assistance.
A member of the italian delega-
tion, colonial expert, said Italy was
ready to give up her Fascist con-
quests" of Ethiopia and Albania, but
he protested taking away Libya,
Eritrea and Somaliland, which he
called the small share taken by
Italy at the big colonial banquet
where other big powers took the