Evening star., 1946-04-25
.Big4kinisters
Begin Paris Talk
ToSpeed Pacts
Conference Seeks to
Prepare Treaties
Terminating War
RY the Assooiotsd presx

PARIS, April 25.- Foreign
Ministers of the United States,
Russia, Great Britain and France
met today in Luxembourg Pal
ace to prepare European treaties
to end the greatest war In his
tory.
Secretary of State Byrnes was the
drst of the visiting Ministers to
enter the palace where the four
leading powers will attempt to iron
out differences which had blocked
efforts to draft peace treaties for
Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria
and Finland.
1t was Mr.. Byrnes who suggested
the conference be convened to solve
problems which have deadlocked a
Council of Deputy Foreign Ministers
in London for months and caused a
postponement of the scheduled May
l European Peace Conference.
George Bidault, French foreign
minister and host, was there to meet
his American colleague. Mr.. Bidault
had driven through streets lined
with crowds to the palace where
gaily- uniformed Republican guards
men snapped to attention, present.
ing arms.
Foreign Commissar V. NJ Molotov
Of Russia arrived almost Immediate
ly after Mr.. Byrnes.
Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin OF
Great Britain waved to the crowd
and entered the palace last.
The crowd which jammed .the
streets, nearby balconies and roof
tops gave no demonstration.
Palace Flag -Bedecked.
The conference began shortly
after the scheduled pm. 11 am,
EST exactly on the first ami
versary of President Trumap's
speech to the San Francisco Con-
ference which drafted the United
Nations charter
Luxembourg Palace was decorated
with flags of the four nations ana
surrounded by hundreds of police
men who kept the square before
the building cleared.
The ministers, accompanied by
their assistants, left the automo-
oileS in the palace courtyard and
went Immediately up the red-car-
peted stairway to the conference
room in the Salon Victor Hugo.
They made no statement prior to
settling down to their task of deal
ing with vanquished European ma
tions.
Diplomatic observers in Paris and
other parts of the world eyed the
conference closely for clues as to
whether the Big Four would be able
to work out compromises in the
spirit of the United Nations or
whether disagreements would pro-
mote another era of power politics
and spheres of influence.
| Italy Biggest Problem.
The deputies have been able to
compromise few of the disputed
fundamental issues in their six
months of discussions, but diplo-
matte sources said their work served
to clear away the underbrush" of
detail and point up differences for
decision by their chiefs.
The greatest difficulty facing the
foreign ministers was expected in
reaching an agreement on the treaty
to end Italys nearly three years of
"hand-to-m mouth" existence.
The four powers are divided over
Russian reparation demands on
Italy, on Russia's desire for control
OF Tripolitania, and on Soviet de-
mands for bases in the Dodecanese.
One of the thorniest problems,
however, apparently had been set
tied with announcement of virtual
accord on the touchy problem of the
1talian-Yugoslav border in Venezia-
Giulia.
1t was believed that a four-power
boundary commission which made
an on-the-spot study of the latter
problem would have its report, with
or without recommendations, ready
for submission to the Ministers by
Saturday or Monday.
Balkan Treaties Wait.
The Ministers are not scheduled
to discuss treaties for Bulgaria,
Romania, Hungary and Finland un-
til after the Italian problems have
been disposed of. Only Britain and
Russia will discuss the Finnish
treaty and France will not partici-
pate in discussions of the other
three.
One diplomatic source said it was
entirely possible that the Italian
discussions might open the way to
a general study of the Mediter-
ranean, including the status of the
Strait OF Gibraltar and the Dar-
danelles.
At the request of France, French
demands of Observation-Disclosures of
the Ruhr and detachment Of the
Rhineland from Germany have been
placed on the agenda. Mr.. Bidault
declared that Germany was the
key to peace"
IF we can agree on Germany"
he told correspondents, I'VE can
agree on other things in the world.
If we cannot agree on Germany we
shall not be able to agree on any,
thing else
The United States asked for elabo-
ration of treaty with Austria to
"regularize" that central European
country's status.
Russian Delegation in Paris
Is Prepared for Long Stay
MOSCOW. April Is P.-The
Russian delegation to the Foreign
Ministers Conference in Paris is