AVENUE KLEBER; CONFERENCE BUILDING; HARRIMAN ARRIVING; NORTH VIETNAMESE DELEGATE ARRIVING.




Initials DHC/V/PW/BB



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE UNITED STATES ACCUSED NORTH VIETNAM TODAY (WEDNESDAY) OF ESCALATING THE VIETNAM WAR DURING THE PRELIMINARY PEACE TALKS IN PARIS, BY MAKING DAILY ROCKET BOMBARDMENTS ON SAIGON. UNITED STATES DELEGATE AVERELL HARRIMAN TOLD REPORTERS AFTER THE EIGHTH FULL-SCALE TALKS SESSION IN PARIS THAT IN THE LIGHT OF THIS "ESCALATION" IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW PRESIDENT JOHNSON COULD PUT INTO EFFECT FURTHER RESTRAINTS ON THE WAR ON THE AMERICAN SIDE.

XUAN THUY, HANOI'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, CHALLENGED THE UNITED STATES TODAY TO DEFINE THE APPROPRIATE TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCES FOR A HALT OF U.S. BOMBING RAIDS AGAINST NORTH VIETNAM. HE RECALLED THAT AT THE LAST MEETING A WEEK AGO MR. HARRIMAN HAD SAID THE U.S. WAS PREPARED TO STOP THE BOMBINGS AT "AN APPROPRIATE TIME AND IN APPROPRIATE CIRCUMSTANCES".

XUAN THUY WARNED THAT "IF THESE TALKS KEEP ON MAKING NO PROGRESS, THE AMERICAN SIDE MUST BEAR FULL AND COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY."
THE MEETING, WHICH LASTED NEARLY FOUR HOURS, WAS ATTENDED BY A NEWCOMER TO THE CONFERENCE -- LE DUC THO, A HIGH-RANKING AN HARDLINE REVOLUTIONARY CHIEF IN HANOI.