Cablegram 184 BATAVIA, 24 July 1948, 11.30 a.m.
SECRET
The Committee has telegraphed the following report to the Security Council this evening, Friday. [1]
Begins: ‘Pursuant to instructions to keep the Council informed of developments in negotiations between parties to Indonesian dispute, the Committee of Good Offices has the honour to report as follows; at Meeting of Steering Committee of Conference on twenty- third July Republican Representatives stated the Conference has been facing complete standstill of political negotiations for the last eight weeks and that the Netherlands Delegation had categorically refused to discuss the Australian - United States proposals [2] of overall political settlement and had not offered an alternative with which to overcome the stalemate. The Republican Representative recalled that on the twenty-ninth his Government had stated it considered the Australian - United States proposals as the only means capable of resolving the deadlock and placed its hope for successful settlement on the continuance of negotiations on the basis of those proposals. Therefore the Government of the Republic was of the opinion that after expiration the present period of negotiations in Kaliurang o[n] twenty-third July return to Batavia of Republican Delegation would not serve any useful purpose. Only those members of the Delegation required for work related to the implementation of the Truce Agreement would leave for Batavia next week. The Republican Representative also pointed out that the Netherlands efforts to establish an United States of Indonesia and a Union outside of the Republic were being intensified, an action which he considered clearly contrary to the Renville principles.
The Netherlands Representative maintained there was no question of standstill and expressed regret that the Republican Delegation should have arrived at this conclusion. He explained ‘that for certain reasons beyond the Delegation’s control mainly necessity for awaiting formation of new Netherlands cabinet it had not yet been possible to obtain fresh instructions and therefore to make any new proposals. He agreed discussions regarding implementation of Truce agreement and possibly certain other matters should be continued, while other subjects which could not profitably be discussed at present should be left in abeyance, Netherlands Rep.
reaffirmed that the purpose of Netherlands Government was to form an United States Indonesia for the whole of Indonesia.
In as much as a compromise overall plan put forward on tenth June by two Representatives on the Committee has so far not succeeded in providing basis for discussion acceptable to both parties, the Committee does not believe that the discussions looking toward political settlement suspended since end May can well be resumed until one party or other comes forward with complete and concrete programme for establishment of United States of Indonesia based upon substantial concessions to point of view of the other party.
It would seem that such programme would need to deal at least with entire range of issues covered by Australian - United States proposals.’ Ends…
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1 i.e. 23 July. The full text of the cablegram is given in United Nations, Security Council Official Records, Third Year, Supplement for July, pp.89-90.
2 Document 173.
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[AA:A1838, 403/3/1/1, xviii]