Cablegram 10 PARIS, 9 July 1946
IMPORTANT
PEACE CONFERENCE
Invitations are being sent out today by French Government to the 17 nations [1], accompanied by memorandum on suggested organisation and procedure. While provision of rules of procedure was insisted on by Soviet delegate, it has now been agreed that the conference will be free to alter or amend the rules which will be presented.
2. Suggested organisation and procedure is as follows:
(a) Plenary conference of 21 nations to study and make recommendations on draft peace treaties for Italy, Balkan States and Finland. On substantive questions a two-thirds rule to apply.
On procedural questions simple majority suffices.
(b) General Commission of 21 composed of representatives from each delegation. This commission will act as a coordinating committee, with powers and duties still to be allotted. Two-thirds majority required to carry decisions.
(c) 5 Political Commissions, one for each of the enemy States of Finland, Italy, Bulgaria, Roumania and Hungary. There will be a delegate on each Commission from each member of the United Nations at war with the enemy state in question. Voting procedure is as follows: in general two-thirds rule will apply but minority has right to present its views to full conference. Where two-thirds majority is not attained reports of conflicting views will be submitted to full conference for decision. Final recommendations of Peace Conference must be voted by two-thirds majority.
(d) Two Economic Commissions, with duties still to be defined.
3. Australia being at war with each enemy State concerned is entitled to act on each Political Commission and presumably each of the two Economic Commissions. This will to some extent indicate the number of personnel required for the delegation.
HODGSON
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1 France, as the host nation, sent out invitations on behalf of the sponsoring powers (the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and France) to Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Greece, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, the Ukraine and Yugoslavia.
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[AA:A4387, A/46/1A]