Evening star., 1953-10-31
Frightening EDc Prospects


for ratification Of the European Defense Com
munity treaty has been further frightened by
the opening this week of Franco-German talks
in Bonn on the Saarland issue
OF the six countries that entered into the
EDO pact-calling for single uniform supra
national military force to be integrated into the
NATO defense Setup-only West Germany has
thus far voted parliamentary ratification. The
real key country among the five others is France
as Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxem-
bourg are unlikely to hasten their own ratifica-
tion in advance of action by the National
Assembly in Paris. A major consideration in
French thinking, as in German, is that of work
ing out permanent and stable formula for the
political and economic future of the Saar
territory.
The kernel of the Saar controversy lies in
the capacity of the tiny countryS coal and steel
industry. In combination, as is the case today,
the steel production of France and the Saar-
land amounts to about "a per cent of the total
production for the Coal and Steel Community
and is approximately equal to the production
Of West Germany. If the Saarland were to go
back to political-economic aff1liation with
West Germany, Frances steel production would
drop to about q per cent of the community,
while GermanyS would 60 above 40 per cent-a
shift to which France presumably never would
agree. The Saarland steel industry today
draws most of it's iron ore from the French
province of Lorraine, its mills are largely under
French management control and it has COM
mon currency with France. At the same time,
while the population of the territory is pre-
dominantly Germanic in language and cultural
heritage, France has succeeded in establishing
a close political union with the territory and
in maintaining a pro-French government in
office
that this political association has been achieved
by a denial of political liberty to the Saar-
landerS, and that France has designs to make
the territory a permanent protectorate of
France.
1t is reasonably clear that no French or
German government ever will agree to anneXa-
tion of the Saar to the opposite country. At
various times, however, authorities of each
government have Endorsed the principle of
"Europeanization" of the terrtory-interna-
tional control under the member nations of the
Coal and Steel Community. While the best
prospect for compromise may rest in this
formula, two large West German parties-the
opposition Social Democrats and the pro-
government Free Democrats-have become in
creasingly outspoken in their criticism of a
solution through this means. Their objection
in each case is based upon the political aspect
while conceding validity to Frances economic
relationship with the Saar.
The current talks at Bonn are being carried
on between Chancellor Adenauer and the French
High Commissioner to the Saar, Andre Francois
Poncet If some encouraging progress is made
in these conversations, it is expected that DR..
Adenauer will have further talks with French
Foreign Minister Bidault prior to meeting of
foreign ministers of all the Coal and Steel
Community nations in late November.
Meanwhile, unofficial suggestions that the
formation of West German national army
may be a necessary alternative to the EDO
plan have created some concern in Paris.
Coincdentally with these rumors there has been
an apparent softening of the anti-EDC attitude
of some of the French political factions. In
view of this shifting, resolution of the Saar
issue and renewal of British American pledges
of close defense support probably would clear
the way for favorable French parliamentary
action on the EDO treaty during the coming
winter.