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ARMED WESTERN GERMANY
SEEN AS LEVER IN
NEGOTIATIONS
WASHINGTON. Monday
The
Allied programme for arming West Germany
would provide a new basis of strength from
which to negotiate with the Soviet Union on
(AAP).
European settlement, State Department officials
said yesterday.
Another Big Four foreign ministers' meet
ing on German unification as well as on an
Austrian independence treaty and other belated
issues, was considered likely only after the
European programme was ratified.
Western leaders were re
ported to have agreed that
there should be no confer
ence with Russia before rati
fication has been secured.
To go into such a meeting
in the next few weeks, as
Moscow proposed on Satur
day would only be to fall in
with the Soviet Union's ex
pected move to try to stall
and eventually kill the Wes
tern European Union, Ameri
can diplomats said.
The Soviet Union's call for
a meeting in November on
German unity, would either
be rejected or put off, but
the door would not be closed
to an eventual conference.
In Bonn. Rome Copen
hagen and Paris there was
a feeling of relief in politi
cal circles that the defence
system had been recon
structed.
This had been achieved
only 54 days after the French
Assembly's rejection of the
European Defence Treaty.
DENOUNCING TREATY
Only Moscow has reacted
so far among the Commun
ist countries, denouncing the
treaties as a threat to peace
by opening up "a field of
activity for aggressive Ger
man militarism."
Reuters' correspondent in
Paris said the French. Gov
ernment has fixed a time
table for ratification of the
Paris agreements by the
French National Assembly.
Officials close to M.
Mendes-France said last
night that French diplomatic
quarters thought there was
nothing in the Soviet Note to
the Western Powers propos
ing new talks on German
reunification likely to hold
up ratification.
The timetable sets the
period from November 3 to
December 31 to complete all
stages of ratification by the
National Assembly.
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