Evening star., 1954-12-24
|Mendes france Acts
10 Upset Rejection
OF Bonn Rearming
sy Ne Assoeiossd Press

1 "A n
BY Nc Assceicssd Press
PARIS. Dec. 24.-For the sec
ond time in four months. the
French Assembly refused today
to approve German rear1nannent.
But Premier Pierre Mendes-
France quickly announced he
would call 4 second vote and
stake his governments life ON .
final okay.
The Deputies stunned Mr..
Mendes- France by rejecting,
280-259. q treaty calling for
West German rearmament
within q projected seven-nation
West European Union. Most
observers had predicted the pact
would get at least q small ma
jority.
The Premier had been so con-
fident of ratification that he did
not make the vote q confidence
issue. The pact had been given
preliminary vote Of approval
by the Assembly last October.
The opposition this time was
strengthened by members of the
Popular Republican Movement
(MRP). which led the campaign
on the now defunct European
Defense Community plan. The
Assembly killed this proposal last
August 80.
MRP Decides to Vote.
MRP speakers earlier had in.
dicated its members would abb
stain in the vote on the WEU
treaty but the party decided at
a laSt-minute recess meeting last
night to oppose the Premier.
Immediately after the official
count was announced, Mr.. Men
des-France announced he would
call for a second reading on the
treaty, one of four interlocking
accords aimed at enlisting 500,-
600 West German troops in West
ern defense.
The Premier also announced
the new vote-expected son1e-
time next week--would be q con-
fidence question. lie and his
cabinet will have to resign II the
Assembly persists in its rejec-
ton of the pact.
In a succession of votes during
a narrowing all-night session.
the Assembly approved restora-
ton of West German sover-
eighty and a French German
accord on the disputed Saar---
two of the three other pacts.
Mr.. MendeS- France announced
that the fourth, calling for West
Germany's entry into the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization,
would be made q confidence is
sue. Under Assembly rules this
automatically postponed the
vote until Monday.
Another Confidence Question.
The Premier also Jumped three
proposed amendments together
as another confidence question.
This, too. will come up Monday
for decision. Two of the amend
ments aim at delaying ratifica-
tion of the pacts. Mr.. Mendes-
France opposes these. But he
wants the Assembly to approve
the third, which asks that the
four accords be treated as q unit
in the ratification process.
+ Assembly approval Of this
amendment would mean that all
treaties must be ratified before
any Of them can become effec-
tive.
There was no immediate indi-
cation whether the rejected
WEU pact would be called back
for its second reading during the
Monday session. The premier'S
confidence motion cannot be Of
f1cially presented until the treaty
is brought up again. The new
vote would come "a hours after
presentation Of the motion.
This was the order Of votes
during the session that ended at
7:55 am.
/. A motion to postpone the
debate was rejected 430-181.
2. The Western European
Union treaty was rejected $50
$50. In addition to providing for
the inclusion of West German
troops into the Western alliance,
this pact would set up controls
on the size Of member nations
military forces and establish q
control agency to oversee the
manufacture of arms and use OF
ornaments.
8. The treaty to restore West
Germany's sovereignty was ap-
proved 372-154.
4. A convention on stationing
foreign troops on German soil
was okayed 517-100.
5. The sovereignty pact and
the convention on foreign troops
were then voted on as q unit
winning a 380-180 ballot.
6. The agreement with Ger
many on the disputed Saar was
approved 368-145.
After the governments defeat
on the WEU treaty was an
nounced, the Premier said:
The Assembly has just cast .
negative vote which every one
knows is bad for the country =. !.
the government was perhaps
wrong not to put question Of
confidence on the first treaty.
1T will be forced henceforth
to put the question Of confidence
on each point which might cause
trouble. This SUGGESTIONS Of
questions of confidence will pro-
long the debate by several days.
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