PRESIDENT THIEU ARRIVING OFF AIRCRAFT IN SAIGON; THIEU AND VICE PRESIDENT NGUYEN CAO KY ALONG RED CARPET; THIEU SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE.




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Background: DIM PROSPECTS FOR AN EARLY PEACE IN VIETNAM WERE HELD OUT BY PRESIDENT NGUYEN VAN THIEU OF SOUTH VIETNAM WHEN HE ADDRESSED A NEWS CONFERENCE IN SAIGON YESTERDAY (MONDAY) FOLLOWING HIS TALKS IN HONOLULU, HAWAII, WITH PRESIDENT JOHNSON OF THE UNITED STATES. HE SAID SOUTH VIETNAMESE FORCES WOULD TAKE THE MILITARY INITIATIVE TO TRY TO COMPEL THE NORTH VIETNAMESE TO TALK PEACE AT THE PARIS DISCUSSIONS.

PRESIDENT THIEU SAID THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF HALTING THE BOMBING OF NORTH VIETNAMESE HANOI MADE SOME RECIPROCAL GESTURES. NEITHER WAS THERE ANY QUESTION OF A WITHDRAWAL OF UNITED STATES FORCES AT THIS STAGE OR OF ANY COALITION GOVERNMENT WITH THE VIET CONG. THESE MATTERS WERE NOT EVEN TOUCHED ON IN THE HONOLULU TALKS, HE SAID. PRESIDENT THIEU SAID THAT ANY FUTURE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT SHOULD REALISED THAT AMERICANS WERE NOT FIGHTING ONLY FOR THE VIETNAMESE, BUT FOR "FOR THE WORLD".

THIS WAS ALMOST THE POINT IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE AT WHICH PRESIDENT THIEU TOUCHED ON THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE UNITED STATES MIGHT BE MORE ANXIOUS THAN VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT TO END THE WAR THROUGH A POLITICAL COMPROMISE WITH NORTH VIETNAM. HE REITERATED AT LENGTH THE JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER THE HONOLULU TALKS, BUT EVADED A QUESTION ABOUT THE REFERENCE IN THE STATEMENT TO THE GENEVA SETTLEMENT ON LAOS, WHICH SOME VIETNAMESE BELIEVE SUGGESTS THAT THE U.S. MIGHT ACCEPT A BALANCE-OF-POWER OR NEUTRALIST TYPE OF SETTLEMENT IN VIETNAM.