Council of Foreign Ministers Piles: Lot M–88: CFM London Documents
Memorandum by the United Kingdom Delegation to the Council of Foreign Ministers
Austrian Government
It is suggested that the Council of Foreign Ministers should agree on the following resolution:
The Council of Foreign Ministers agrees that there should be established at the earliest possible date a sovereign Government for Austria.
In accordance with the decision of the Potsdam Conference the extension of the authority of the Austrian Provisional Government to all of Austria has been examined. The Council of Foreign Ministers takes note of the decision reached by the Allied Council in Vienna on September 20th in the following terms:
“The Allied Council having received a memorandum from Dr. Renner approve his proposal to summon a Conference of Provincial representatives. The Conference should be representative of all the Provinces and of all three leading parties. The object of the Conference is to consider with complete freedom what if any broadening or reorganisation of the Provisional Government may be required. The result of the deliberations of the Conference will be considered by the Allied Council. The Allied Council agree that each occupying Power should give facilities to such representatives to proceed to Vienna”.
In view of the fact that agreement on these lines has already been reached by the Allied Council the Council of Foreign Ministers consider it unnecessary to discuss the subject any further. They recommend [Page 334] however that the proposed conference of provincial delegates should take place at the earliest possible moment. They further recommend that elections for a Constituent Assembly should be held as soon as electoral registers can be prepared and in any case within six months from now.