◆ SpookStack

Pe THE NEGOT. | .ON PUZZLE “5 Of the message of Mr. Janos Peter, Foreign Minister of Hungary, in his message to the United Nations General Assembly in October, 1965. Meanwhile, the United States has declared that all it wants | is a settlement that will permit its honorable withdrawal from Vietnam. 3. Autonomy of South Vietnam and Reunification. Point four of the Hanoi pronouncement indicates considerable modification of the Geneva accord which provided only a temporary military dividing line at the 17th parallel. North Vietnam has indicated its willingness to accept an autonomous regime in South Victnam provided it “genuinely represents all major sections of the south- © ern population” and that both governments should have the right to “enjoy economic, cultural, and fraternal relations” with coun- tries of their own choice.3* This represents a deference to the wishes of the National Liberation Front, which has indicated that it‘wants to delay reunification until it is strong and stable enough to negotiate with the North on terms of equality. The United States, while continually emphasizing a “free, independent South Vietnam,” has nevertheless indicated acceptance of the right of North and South to unite, if they choose, without foreign inter- ference. 4, Third Party Presence. The United States has moved from irritated outbursts over U Thant’s efforts for negotiation to a general appeal to the United Nations to use its good offices** (though the United States has not formally laid the Vietnam prob- lem before the United Nations as it was bound by the U.N. Charter to do before taking unilateral military action), The North Vietnamese have given some evidence that they accept the need of a third-party presence to supervise a cease-fire’? and elections in South Vietnam, as specified by the Geneva Agreements of 1954. A question remains as to what kind of third party would be accepted by all parties and what the terms of reference would be. This would of necessity be a major part of negotiating dis- cussions. ™ William Warbey’ reporting interviews with Ho Chi Minh and Prime Minister Pham Van’ Dong in letter to the Times of London, April 1, 1965. ™ See Ambassador Goldberg's letter to U Thant, New York Times, Jan- uary 6, 1966. “Fenner Brockway, London Tribune, September 10, 1965.