Evening star., 1955-02-05
.Formosd Discussed
Al Commonwealth
Farley in London
BY the Associu'ed Press

LONDON, Feb. 5.-Foreign
Secretary Anthony Eden con-
ferred with Prime Ministers
Nehru of India and st. Laurent
of Canada today in a round of
urgent and secret diplomatic ex-
changes on the Formosa crisis.
A British spokesman said the
main subject was Indo-C China but
the three renewed the search for
ways of solving the Formosan
problem, which Prime Minister
Nehru last night called "a very
great world crisis"
The nature of the discussion
about Indo-China was not dis
closed but it could have been
an exploratory meeting on the
possibilities of an international
Formosa conference outside the
United Nations. such as last
years Geneva conference which
ended the Indo-China fighting.
India. Canada and Poland were
named at Geneva to exercise
supervisory powers over the
Indo-China armistice.
U. S. Cool to Idea.
Britain already has written
off the possibilities of a For
moSa ceaSe-fire brought about
by the United Nations and a
conference outside U. N. auspices
is one of the possibilities being
discussed here.
The United States State De-
partment expressed marked COOL
ness yesterday to the idea of a
Geneva-type meeting.
The foreign Office said today
Sir William Hayter, British am
bassador in Moscow. has sent a
full report on conversations he
had about Formosa yesterday
with Soviet Foreign Minister V.
M. Molotov. No details were dis
closed.
The foreign office reported the
Soviet charge d'affairS in Lon
don, Nikolai D. Belokhvostikov,
was called in by Sir Anthony
last Wednesday to discuss For
mosa. This meeting occurred
before Red China rejected an
invitation by the United Ma
tions to discuss Formosa cease
fire.
The Indian Premier and Prime
Minister. st. Laurent are here
attending a Today conference
of prime ministers of the Brit
ish Commonwealth of Nations.
There was no full session of the
conference today, but delegates
were taking part in a series of
exchanges about Formosa.
Little Warmth.
For the present there appeared
little warmth, either among Bri-
.tish officials or within the COM
monwealth delegations toward
suggestions for international
meetings on FormoSa outside the
U.N.
Hope for Security Council dis
CuSSions on a ceaSe-f1re were
dashed when Red China said she
would consider sending repre-
sentatives to New York only if
Nationalist China were kicked
out and the parties took up only
Russia's demand that the United
States pull all its forces out of
the China area.
Diplomats took special note of
Sir Anthony's warning to Red
China yesterday that use of
force against the Nationalist
held coastal islands, including
the threatened Tachens, Matsu
and Quemoy, would endanger
world peace.
The conservative Daily Tele-
graph said Sir Anthony's state
ment to Parliament brought
British policy very close to that
of the United States"
The Telegraph interpreted Sir
Anthony's statement to mean
that 'if fighting started because
of Communist attacks on Que
moy or Matsu, Britain would feel
free to join in measures against
the Communists"
Britain's official stand is that
it has no obligations other than
those inherent in its U. N. men,
bership to become involved in
any fighting which may arise in
the Formosa Strait.