The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-08-21

Stand Made

by NELS SLH

bargaining, the foreign ministers
Of France and five other West Eu-
rOpean nations make 4 last-ditch
try today to salvage the Europe
an army plan.
The ministers wound up mara
thon eight-hour session early this
morning after hours of gloom and
threats Of deadlock over Frances
proposed changes in the European
Defense Community Treaty. West
Germany, Belgium, the Neither
lands and Luxembourg already
have ratified the pact. France and
Italy have not.
Unwilling to admit defeat, the
foreign ministers assigned 4 COM
rnittee Of defense, legal and econ
omic experts to meet again today
to try working out details of q
compromise proposed by Belgian
Foreign Minister PAul-Henri
Spaak.
The ministers planned 10 take
up the compromise plan in an aft
ernoon session. This probably will
be the final attempt at a settle
ment in the parley, which had
been scheduled to end yesterday.
Spaak's formula calls for taking
up unsettled issues after France
and Italy have ratified the treaty.
But French Premier Pierre Men
des-France feels = pledge to re-
open negotiations later Is not
enough to help him get edo APP
proved by the balky French Par
lament.
Only Spaak seemed optimistic
after the breakup Of the long ses-
sion this morning. He said, 1--WE
went through all the questions
without reaching deadlock" and
added he still had some hope"
Mendes-France told reporters,
Things are going badly"
West German Chancellor KOnrad
Adenauer, emerging from the ses-
sion tired and drawn, said, ''What
good can you expect at such 4 bad
time"
The French Parliament still has
not ratified the treaty, n months
after It was signed, and Mendes-
France says it never win unless
his proposals are accepted.
He wants, among many other
things, to delay for eight years
the supranational features Of EDO
whereby an international commits
sariat would make administrative
decisions on defense for all MEM
Der nations.
It is through this device that
the other nations would be given
controls over Germany to pre-
vent 4 rebirth Of nationalistic
militariSm.
ENJOYS Of the four nations which
have won legislative approval Of
the unified army plan say they
can't accept anything that would
require their parliaments 10 con-
slider it anew.
The French revisions, which
would change EDO into little more
than q six-nakion coalition, certain
ly would require new parliamen-
tary action. On this issue there
seems to be little chance Of COM
promise.
Italy is in the lineup against the
French revisions. Committees Of
the Italian Parliament already
have made their reports on edo,
and ratification was expected this
fall.
Spaak said today his eomprO-
mise plan embraced three steps:
/. A conference declaration ae-
cepting certain French revisiOns.
2. A conference directive to the
Council Of Ministers, after EDO Is
formed, 10 implement other revi-
sions proposed by France.
;. A new foreign ministers meet
ing soon to re-sxamiDe any re-
naming differences.
His proposals involved 20 points.
the Belgian minister said, and 1
certain number" had been agreed
upon already. He declined to dis
close what they were.
Others were more gloomy. One
informant, for instance, said not
one major French amendment had
been accepted.
The United States appeared 70
be edging into the ring yesterday.
David K. Bruce, us. special am
bassador for European Indignation
projects, arrived in Brussels last
night from Paris. His activities
were kept secret.
Earlier, Mendes-Franee caIled
on Frederick M. Alger Jr., Amer.
lean ambassador to Belgium, "a
give him q report On the progress
Of the talks.
The Brussels newspaper Le Peu.
pie said Us. Secretary Of State
Dulles cabled the French Premier
urging him to keep working fol
the success Of EDO, but this could
not be confirmed from any Other
source.
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