FRANCE: DELEGATES FROM TWELVE GOVERNMENTS ARRIVE FOR INTERNATIONAL VIETNAM CONFERENCE.

Record ID: 646762

  • Title: FRANCE: DELEGATES FROM TWELVE GOVERNMENTS ARRIVE FOR INTERNATIONAL VIETNAM CONFERENCE.
  • Date: 1st March 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV International Conference centre 0.05 2. SV Sharp 0.13 3. SV Trinh (North Vietnam arrives with party) 0.22 4. SV Madame Binh arrives 0.34 5. SV Mr. Chi Peng-Fei arrives 0.45 6. SV Janos Peters of Hungary arrives 0.51 7. SV Kurt Waldheim arrives 1.01 8. SV Rogers arrives (USA) 1.09 9. SV Gromyko Arrives 1.20 10. SV Lam (South Vietnam) arrives 1.33 11. SC Douglas-Home (UK) arrives 1.42 Initials ES. 1810 ES. 1827 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 16th March 1973 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA6OKGI5E59X1N8LJ0QXE3J5EK6
  • Story Text: The delegates of twelve governments gathered in Paris on Tuesday (February 27) for an international conference aimed at guaranteeing the peace settlement reached in Vietnam.

    The conference's first day was marred by a clash between the United States and North Vietnam over a hold-up in the release of U.S. prisoners of war. But it was hoped the conference would be able to sign a final declaration within a few days.

    Several conference delegates, including Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, came out against a Canadian proposal that reports of ceasefire violations by the four-nation control commission (with Canada a member) should go to United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

    Mr. Gromyko said there was too much outside interference in Vietnam and that a carefully negotiate agreement achieved by the United States and North Vietnam should not be tampered with.

    Canada has threatened to pull out of the control commission unless there is some machinery set up for receiving and acting on their reports of violations.

    SYNOPSIS: Foreign Ministers of twelve governments are in Paris this week for a conference to guarantee the Vietnam peace settlement. Canada was represented by External Affairs Minister Mitchell Sharp.

    North Vietnam's delegation was headed by Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Trinh, seen here arriving with his aides.

    The Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam -- the Viet Cong -- was led by Madame Binh, a veteran of the Vietnam peace talks.

    Mr. Chi Peng-fei, the People's Republic of China's Foreign Minister brought the conference's largest delegation with twenty-five members, including five women.

    Hungary, a member of the new International Control Commission, sent Foreign Minister Janos Peters.

    United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim led his own delegation of eleven. As the conference convened, Canada was pushing for U.N. involvement in the control commission. There were indications the United States delegation, led by Secretary of State William Rogers, would support this.

    But the Soviet Union's Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and other Communist leaders objected to U.N. interference in the settlement.

    South Vietnam's Tranh van Lam came under early attack by the North Vietnamese who charged the south with consistent violations of the ceasefire as the conference began.

    The United Kingdom was represented at the conference by its Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home, seen here arriving at the International conference centre.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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