334

Critchley to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram unnumbered BATAVIA, [3 April 1949], 1.30 a.m.

Roem has replied [1] accepting Commission’s invitation to discussions in Batavia. However, in order to avoid grave misunderstandings among Republican leaders and among Indonesian population, he stresses that his participation must necessarily be limited at least in early stages of discussions.

2. Roem draws attention to fact that authority was transferred to emergency Government in Sumatra, to paragraph two of Commission’s one March report [2] and to statements of speakers in recent Security Council debates that restoration of Republican Government at Djokjakarta free to take decisions uncoerced is pre-requisite for any fruitful negotiations. He concludes:

‘I shall therefore only be able to discuss initially practical details of restoration of Republican Government at Djokjakarta. It is my hope that Netherlands will agree in principle to this restoration at outset so that Republican Government can take at Djokjakarta upon the basis of ascertained wishes of its people essential decisions regarding Security Council’s Resolution [3] of 28th January and directive [4] of 23rd March.’.

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1 The full text of the letter dated 1 April from the Republican Delegation to the UN commission for Indonesia is given in United Nations, Security Council Official Records, Fourth Year, Special Supplement No.5, pp.6-7.

2 See note 1 to Document 265.

3 Document 168.

4 See Document 312.

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[AA : A1838, 854/10/4/3, iv]