Evening star., 1953-10-14
Trieste 0vershadows
London Big ; Talks;
Dulles Leaves Tonight
By Gornett D. Homer

oy 0oInett y. HoTneI
Secretary of State Dulles flies
to London tonight for a Big
Three Foreign Ministers Confer
ence given a sense of urgency by
the Trieste crisis.
He will join British Foreign
Secretary Eden and French For
eign Minister Bidault Friday for
two or three days of talks rang
ing over such other major issues
as how to ease tensions with
Russia and achieve peace in
Korea.
The Trieste problem appears
to be the hottest facing the con-
ference because of Yugoslavia's s
violent opposition to a United
States British decision to turn
over to Italian administration
the Trieste zone they have oc-
cupied since World War II.
POpOvic Sees Dulles.
Yugoslav Foreign Minister r
Koca Popovic conferred for an
hour with Mr.. Dulles yesterday
and told reporters later that Yu-
goslavia cannot accept this "im-
posed solution" of her long dis
pute with Italy over Trieste.
Italian Ambassador Alberto
Tarchiana scheduled a confer
ence with Secretary Dulles for
$3.50 this afternoon, presumably
to press upon Mr.. Dulles, just
before his departure, Italy'S
claims to all the Trieste terri
tory-or at least for a plebiscite
to settle the issue.
Mr.. Popovic said he had urged
on Mr.. Dulles acceptance of
Yugoslavia's proposal for a con-
ference with the United States,
Britain, and Italy on the issue
before Italy tries to move into the
Trieste Zone A.
He told reporters Mr.. Dulles
assured him the proposal will be
given urgent attention, but re-
quired consultation with the
other governments concerned. A
decision on this point may be
reached during the London talks.
AS an indication of how deli
cate the State Department con-
siders the whole Tri este problem,
department spokesman refused
any comment at all following
the Dulles-Popovic conference.
Another aspect of the wide
spreading Trieste problem facing
the Western powers is Russia s
demand that the United Nations
Security Council try again to set
up an international administra-
ton for an independent Trieste
territory.
Mr.. Popovic idicated his gov
ernment has little interest in the
Soviet proposal, telling reporters
that Yugoslavia has no RESPONSE
bility whatsoever for any possible
negative consequences of the
Russian move. He described the
Yugoslav proposal for a four
nation conference as something
better and more correct"
He declared that it is Yugo-
slavia's right and duty" to ire
sist with all means any imposed
solution" of the Trieste dispute.
Otherwise, he said, she would
lose her independence.
Seen Only a Bridgehead.
He charged that the Yugoslav-
Italian dispute over Trieste has
been made worse by increasing
Western support of what he
called Italian aspirations for ex-
pansion toward the east. He
asserted that Italy does not need
Trieste except as a bridgehead.
It was the second time in two
days that Mr.. Popovic, in this
country to attend the United Ma
tions General Assembly session
in New York, had conferred with
Mr.. Dulles to argue his country'S
case in the Trieste issue.
While there was no official de-
partment comment, officials made
clear that the Yugoslav Foreign
Minister had failed to sway Mr..
Dulles from the decision to turn
over the Trieste Zone A, includ-
ing the big port city of Trieste, to
the Italians. They would not
give any indication, however. of
this Governments attitude to-
ward the Yugoslav proposal for
a four-nation conference on the
issue.
Mr.. Dulles is scheduled to leave
for London at $3.50 pm. aboard
a special Military Air Transport
Service plane. He will be ac-
companied by Douglas Mac
Arthur II, State Department
counselor, and Robert r. Bowie,
director of the policy planning
staff.