Evening star., 1951-10-20
Communists Accent
Compromise on Path
To Korea Truce Site
By the Associated Press

MUNSAN, Korea, Oct. ~
Communist liaison officers today
accepted a United Nations COM
promise of a quarter-mile-w wide
security path to the proposed new
site for Korean armistice talks,
and agreement seemed near for
quick resumption of the long
stalled discussions.
Col. Andrew j. kinney. senior
Allied liaison officer. said after to-
days session: II rather expect the
thing will get settled tomorrow
one way or the other"
Liaison officers of both sides
will resume their conferences to-
morrow at 10 am. g pm. Satur-
day EST. If agreement is reached
then on security conditions. full
scale talks could be resumed with
in a few days.
The Reds agreed to a United
Nations proposal for a 400-meter
corridor straddling the road from
Panmunjom miles west to Red
headquarters at Kaesong and Is
miles southeast to the U. N. COM
mand advance camp at Munsan.
Only one point remained in dis
pute before arrangements are
complete for resumption of full
scale cease-fire negotiations-and
the liaison officers appeared near
agreement on that point: Shall
the U. N. agree in writing to keep
its warplanes from flying over the
security zone around Kaesong?
"They (the Reds) are taking a
very firm position on the over
flight question" Col. Kinney said
after Saturdays meeting.
An official release from U. N.
command advance headquarters
said. "A solution to this problem
was offered today when the
United Nations command offered
unilaterally to limit flights over
Kaesong and the road to Pam
munjom insofar as practical. (The
u. N. command has already prom
1sed to avoid flights over Pan
munjom itselfD
"Other than this point, (only)
adjustment in phraseology to the
agreement and associated papers
remains to be settled for ratifica-
tion and the resumption of sub
stantlve discussions on the mill
tary armistice and resultant
ceaSe-flre"
Warns Against Overoptimism.
Agreements reached by the liai-
son officers will be submitted to
the full delegations at their first
meeting for ratification.
After the Saturday session Brig.
Gen. William p Nuckols, official
U. N. spokesman, warned against
overoptimism.
He told correspondents:
Il am very reluctant to raise the
hopes of every one because a ma
Jor point remains unsolved."
He added that any yielding on
that point by the Communists
would be done with reluctance
unless we give them assurances. :"
Col. Kinney said the U. N. COM
mand plans to erect searchlight
beacons and raise balloons with
in the 1,000-yard safety zone
across Panmunjom. They will
serve as navigation, aids to keep
Allied pilots away.
1--WE have no right to set up
technical aids in Kaesong," Col.
Kinney said, land without them
it would be difficult to prevent
flying over the town.
Corridor Widened.
1t was disclosed for the first
time Saturday that u. N. liaison
officers proposed a 200-meter cor
ridor at Fridays session. Reds
rejected it. No reason was given
why this proposal was not made
public until after agreement was
reached Saturday.
The u N. offered the 400-meter
f4376 yards) corridor compromise
during tWo-hour session Satur-
day morning. The Reds accepted
it at an afternoon meeting.
The corridor would be free
from attack by either side.
The liaison officers talked 4
hours and 10 minutes today in the
cold and wind-swept circus tent at
Panmunjon. 1t was the longest
one-day session since efforts were
started to get the talks going
again. The previous longest one
day session was hours and Is
R,oiy,,tne