Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 10, 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press saturday february 10, 1968 new danish govt. Scrutinizes nato by Roland Hun Ford Copenhagen Denmark special owns when the social democrats were Defeated in last month s elections a question Mark was left Over the direction which danish foreign policy would take under the new government. The outgoing Premier Jens Otto Krag and the foreign minister per Hakkerup were firm advocates of North Atlantic treaty organization membership. Some observers were half expecting the Premier Hilmar Baunsgard to announce a Daniti withdrawal from nato when he spoke on his govern ment s program in the folketing parliament this week. The alarmists were wrong. But or. Baunsgard did reveal a change All the same. He announced that Denmark would base pier foreign policy on nato including the arrange ments for termination of the treaty. He further announced that a study would be made of How to ensure danish Security taking into consideration pre sent circumstances and developments Over the past few years. Foreign ministry officials explained that this was an attempt to reassess the whole danish attitude to nato. If it transpired that Denmark s Security was possible outside nato then she might leave after the expiration of the present Treater in 1969. But if the study came up with a different answer then the chances were that danish membership of nato would continue. Or. Baunsgard who is Leader of the Radical liberals. Possibly Hopes that the proposed study will show that Denmark could Cleave nato and still ensure her own Security. On the other hand the conservatives who Are the largest grouping in the new conservative Liberal Radical Liberal coalition Hope and believe that the answer will be that the Only reasonable course for Denmark is to remain within nato. Or. Baunsgard s formula was no to satisfy both the sizable faction of his own party who would like to quit nato and also the conservatives and liberals who the Herron Folk by Shaun Herron do not. The nato school of thought would seem to have a Champion in the new foreign minister Pool Hartling who is a member of the lib eral party. In his speech to the folketing or. Baunsgard said Denmark would work within nato for a change in the organization in an attempt to achieve a further detente in Europe. Whatever happens Denmark is extremely unlikely to Abdi Cate from the world scene As she did Between the world wars trusting that a Mere declaration of neutrality would be sufficient to ensure her Security without building up her own defences or seeking the Protection of bigger Powers. It is probably fair to say that by taste and personal conviction or. Baunsgard is a kind of neutralise. But he positive As one official put it. By this he meant that or. Baunsgard would prefer Denmark to be Neutral provided the circumstances and the guarantees were appropriate but he would not advocate the kind of unguarded neutrality that would leave the country open to diplomatic and military blackmail. The fairest judgment of the new danish government at this stage is that it May neutralise yearnings but As Sherlock Holmes once they walk Flat footed on the on the evidence of his folketing speech or. Bans Gaard wants to try to Force the reappraisal which nearly every body agrees is Long overdue in nato if he succeeds he could be a minor e u r p p e a n Benefactor. Macabre hoax Heald Green England ;