§ 64. Mr. Mott-Radclyffeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contribution Her Majesty's Government are proposing to make towards the costs of the International Supervisory Commissions in Indo-China.
Mr. TurbanAs an initial contribution Her Majesty's Government propose to 213W advance £26,786 from the Civil Contingencies Fund. At the final meeting of the Geneva Conference on Indo-China, it was agreed (page 8 of Command 9239) that Mr. Molotov and I as the two chairmen should submit to the conference proposals for meeting the costs of the three International Supervisory Commissions in Indo-China. After consultations among the interested Powers, Her Majesty's Government and the Soviet Government have agreed to recommend to the members of the Geneva Conference a scheme elaborated by the Government of India on behalf of the three Powers providing the members of the Supervisory Commissions: India, Canada and Poland. This scheme provides that a proportion of the costs should be financed by the supervisory Powers themselves and the remainder from a "common pool" to be established by the members of the Conference. This scheme is now being considered by the members of the Conference, who will also have to agree on their respective contributions to the common pool.
Meanwhile, the Supervisory Commissions have already begun their important work in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. This has very generously been financed by the supervisory powers themselves, each of which has advanced the equivalent of $100,000 for this purpose. Pending final agreement among the members of the Geneva Conference it is now proposed that this advance should be repaid by initial contributions, each equivalent to $75,000, from the Governments of China, France, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The Soviet Government have already done so and it is now proposed that Her Majesty's Government should follow suit by advancing £26,786 from the Civil Contingencies Fund.