Evening star., 1954-11-01
The Soorlund in History

West Germany's Chancellor Adenauer,
with his international prestige at new high,
returns to Bonn this week to face what
probably will be the toughest political battle
in his career. It is the fight to win from
the Parliament of the Federal Republic an
Endorsement of the French German agree.
ment on the future of the Saarland. Nego-
tiated by Premier Mendes-France and DR..
Adenauer in the closing hours Of the Paris
Conference, the accord has drawn criticism
from the Chancellor's own coalition aSsoci-
ateS and will be fought vigorously by the
opposition Socialist Party. The decision
which eventually will be reached by the
German legislature will be vital to the whole
new structure planned for West European
unity.
Barely half the size of Long Island, the
Saar has been a pawn in European power
politics since the Middle Ages. Controlled
alternately in modern times by France and
Germany, it has been ruled earlier by the
counts of Nassau -Saarbrucken, the counts
of Ardennes and by the bishops of Metz.
It's population of nearly one million today
is largely Germanic in language and cul-
tural heritage, but it is it's industrial wealth
that makes it a bitterly contested prize
between two major powers. Its production
of coal now runs above 16 million tons an
nually and It's mills turn out about three
million tons of steel yearly. It is pro-
ducer, too, of chemicals, glassware and
building materials but 1t is in coal and steel
that the Saar holds balance of industrial
power between Germany and France. The
iron ore for it's mills, perhaps significantly,
comes from French Lorraine.
The Saar was under German control
when World War I came From 1920 to
1885 it was international territory, admin
istered politically by the League OF Nations.
A plebiscite in the latter year showed a
nine-to-one preference for German rule and
there followed ten years under Nazi control.
From 1945 to 1947, the territory was under
French military occupation. There has fol-
lowed since period Of partial political
autonomy, but union economically with
France. postwar agreement provides that
the ultimate status of the territory should
be settled in the peace treaty with united
Germany-not yet in sight.
Contemporary bitterness over the Saar
stems largely from the West German feeling
that the territory's political autonomy is
more GIeOTGLlCdl G1ldIl real, dIlU V1ldI dA1NC
is determined to maintain actual political
control
In substance, the plan agreed upon
would provide for political Europeanization
of the territory under neutral commits
sioner to be named by the new Western
European Union. A plebiscite, in which
frankly prot German Saar parties would be
permitted to participate, is to be held and
if the agreement is approved-a general
election would follow. France would retain
its dominant economic position vis-a-vis
the territory but West Germany would be
allowed greater economic access The pro-
vision for further settlement in a peace
treaty is unchanged-but such treaty is
no closer in sight.
Thus. the Paris accord is compromise,
in which West Germany has made the
greater concessions It may, or it may not,
provide the basis for permanent solution
of the issue. But If, as an accepted COM
promise, it helps clear the way to new
Franco-G German relationship there will be
fresh and greater hope that the centuries
old problem can really be resolved.