Evening star., 1962-01-06
Big Powers Pressing
Laos Princes to Confer

GENEVA, Jan. 6 (AP) The
big powers put new pressures
on the three feuding princes of
Laos today to get together for
another try at forming a Goa
lition government in that
Southeast Asia kingdom.
Western diplomats here and
in Vientiane tended to discount
claims of the Royal Laotion
government that the Commu-
nists had launched a big Of
fenSive leading to a flareup of
fighting on a wide scale.
The 14-nation conference try
ing to neutralize Laos yesterday
decided to invite neutralist
Prince Souvanna Phouma. pro-
Western Prince Boun Gum and
pro Communist Souphanouv-
ong to Geneva to settle their
differences.
Representatives of the three
princes here all expressed ap-
proval of the idea of summit
talks, which have the support
of the Soviet Union and Red
China as we'll as the Western
powers.
Invitation and Warning
In formally issuing the invi-
tation today, British Foreign
Secretary Lord HON and Soviet
Foreign Minister Adrei A. Gro
myko warned the three political
princes that failure to form a
government and send a unified
delegation to Geneva threatens
to wreck the conference on
Laos.
Acting as nominal co-chair-
men of the Geneva conference,
they appealed to the princes to
come to Geneva as soon as pos
Sible. The appeal, the third in
six weeks, warned that the
work of the Geneva conference
may come to nothing" unless
united Laotian delegation ap-
proves it.
Western and Communist
Diplomats in Geneva have
reached agreement on a cease
fire and a statute of permanent |
neutrality for Laos. They
would like the princes to agree
on these and other matters, but |
the Laotian leaders have failed |
in several attempts to set up a
unity cabinet. The main argu-
ment is who should control the
key ministries of defense and |
interior.
Compromise Urged
Prince Souvanna, who now
is in Paris, has proposed that
neutraliStS get both posts, but |
the defense minister should
have a "Troika" of deputies
from each OF the three fac
tionS.
Prince Boun Oum has re-
jected this idea, despite the
| fact that the United States and |
other Western powers support |
| it. United States diplomats
now are trying to persuade him
to compromise.
The Princes met last summer
in Zurich but agreed only on
vague principles for a unity
government. Last week they
met again in Vientiane, but
their discussions collapsed after
Prince Boun Gum, Premier of
the American-backed Vientiane
government, went back on his
agreement to join a coalition
with Prince Souvanna as Pre-
mier.
During the past few days
Prince Boun Gums govern
ment has issued a series of
communicates charging that two
regiments from Communist
North Wet Nam had moved
into Northeastern Xieng Khou-
ang Province and claiming
fierce fighting has broken out.
Such claims of mass Red troop
intervention have proved
greatly exaggerated in the past.
WesternerS in Vientianne said
they had received no evidence
from the field to support such
claims aside from reports of
some skirmishing on the Tha
Thorn sector southeast of
Xieng Khouang, the pro-Com-
mllnist headquarters.
The royal governments ver-
sion of the incident said that
neutralist and pro-Communist
rebels launched a violent at
tack on Tha Thorn after Soviet
planes dropped supplies to
them. The communique said
the rebels fired more than $50
shells at government defenders.