BELGIUM: Conference

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From a visit to Premier Ramsay MacDonald of Britain went Premier Edouard Herriot of France to converse with Premier Georges Theunis of Belgium. The second Premier told the third Premier of what he had discussed with the first Premier (TIME, June 30).

The conversations started at 10 o'clock in the morning and were concluded at 6 o'clock in the evening with a short intermission for luncheon at Premier Theunis' home. At mid-day the Chefs de Cabinet were admitted to the Conference.

The Belgian Government issued the following communiqué:

"Premier Herriot put the Belgian Ministers au courant with his conversations with Premier MacDonald. They gave reason to hope for the close collaboration of Great Britain,

France, Italy and Belgium, with a view to insuring early application of the Experts' Plan.

"The French Prime Minister and Belgian Ministers next exchanged views on the principal points which will have to be discussed by the forthcoming Interallied Conference. . . .

"An exchange of pledges after Germany has fulfilled all the conditions prescribed by the report of the experts, guarantees for its execution, the railway administration and extension of the M. I. C. U. M.* agreement received the especial attention of the Ministers.

"The representatives of the two Governments reaffirmed their common desire to secure strict execution of the clauses dealing with the disarmament of Germany. The problem of security was considered and further study of it will be pursued on both sides.

"The Brussels conversations were inspired with a sincere spirit of close friendship and reciprocal confidence. They have left the impression that genuine progress has been made and that the forthcoming conference will find itself in a position to reach an equitable solution of the reparations problem."

A Belgian political authority capped the conversation by remarking: "From this morning's conversation, it is clear that the English and French attitudes are not yet in entire agreement on all points, but there is on both sides a sincere desire for an understanding. This is satisfactory to Belgium since the Entente is for her a guarantee of security."