The Daily Express

Korean War News

MUNSAN, Feb. 9. (INS)- The Allies today accepted part of a Red plan for post-armistice diplomatic negotiations to forge a permanent Korean peace, but ruled out any discussion of other Far Eastern problems.

In a full scale meeting of both truce delegations, the United Nations command agreed to recommend--jointly with the Communists-that withdrawal of all "Non-Korean" armed forces from Korea be discussed after the fighting stops.

However, the UN blocked a Red move to bar South Korea from the projected high level political talks.

The Allies insisted that the Republic of Korea sit alongside UN governments in post-armistice dealings with North Korea and Red China.

These were the major points incorporated in an Allied counter proposal presented Saturday in reply to a Communist blue print for a peace conference to follow a military cease fire in Korea.

The group dealing with rules made no progress on disputed points but the officers handling (concluded on page 3.)
Korean War News
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the prisoner question gained further headway toward partial settlement of that problem.

Both sides tentatively agreed on "portions" of three paragraphs of a proposed UN draft agreement on prisoner exchange.

They agreed that Panmunjom be designated the "initial" site where the actual trading of prisoners and civilian internees shall begin.

And they partly agreed that joint Allied-Red committees shall supervise the exchange while joint teams from the International as well as the Red Chinese and North Korean Red Cross organizations shall inspect prisoner camps.

The staff officers side stepped during Saturday's session the dispute over the deadline for delivery and exchange of captives. The Allies, who hold at least 20 times the number of prisoners as do the Reds, want to have 60 to 90 days to complete the trade while giving the Communists 30 days to hand back the persons they captured.

The Communists want both sides to have a time limit of 60 days.

Most of the staff officers' sessions on prisoner exchange were devoted to this point during the two days preceding Saturday's meeting.

The officers have skirted the controversy over the Red rejected Allied demand that prisoners be given the free choice of whether or not to return home. This is the main stumbling block toward an agreement on the whole subject.

The officers trying to write an agreement on truce terms and po-

officials have spent their sessions of the past three days discussing the rate of post-armistice troop rotation and the number of entry ports to be subject to neutral inspection.

SEOUL, Feb. 9. (INS)--A lone Communist plane strafed an Allied supply road on Korea's central front today but inflicted no casualties or damage.

The attack was made during Friday's pre-dawn hours of darkness south of Kumsong as Allied planes launched another day of bombing, strafing and scorching Red front line forces, arteries and rear bases.

American superforts and smaller Allied aircraft struck anew at enemy rail yards, track, supply depots and highway traffic in continuance of "Operation Strangle," designed to cut Red troops off from their sources of supply and reinforcement.

Along the snow speckled 145-mile ground front, meanwhile, action was confined to patrol thrusts and clashes.

In the western sector an Allied raiding party slipped through Chinese lines under cover of darkness early Thursday and reached the top of an enemy held hill within sight of Panmunjom where the truce negotiators hold their sessions.

The Allied troops waged a 25-minute battle with the Communist defenders of the hill, then withdrew to return to their own lines.

This type of action was continued Friday as Allied patrols reconnoitered enemy positions in all sectors.

In some areas the Reds made probing thrusts at Allied lines but were repulsed everywhere.