259. Editorial Note
The Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Laos formed a part of the Geneva Accords of July 1954. Unlike Vietnam, Laos was not partitioned; rather Pathet Lao forces were to regroup in the two northern Lao provinces of Sam Neua and Phong Saly pending a political settlement. Within 120 days of the August 6, 1954, cease-fire, all foreign troops—the French and the “Vietnamese People’s Volunteers” (the Viet Minh)—were to be withdrawn from Laos. The French High Command was specifically permitted to retain 1,500 officers and noncommissioned officers to train the Lao National Army and 3,500 troops to maintain the 2 military establishments at Seno and in the Mekong Valley that they were allowed by the agreement. The introduction of military equipment, armaments, and munitions into Laos was prohibited. Responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the agreement was the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Laos (ICC), composed of Canada, Poland, and India, headquartered at Vientiane, and presided over by the representative of India. In addition, a Joint Commission made up of representatives of the Pathet Lao and the Royal Lao Government was created to facilitate the implementation of the clauses relating to the withdrawal of foreign troops. In its final declaration of July 21, the Conference at Geneva took note of two declarations by the representative of the Royal Government of Laos. The first stated that Laos would not join any military alliance except in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Agreements and that it would not accept military aid, except for the purposes of defense of its territory, until a final settlement of the political question was made. The second declared that it was resolved to integrate all Lao citizens into its national community and to provide for special representation of the Pathet Lao in administration of Phong Saly and Sam Neua until anticipated general elections in Laos later in 1955. For texts of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Laos, the Final [Page 578] Declaration of the Geneva Conference, and the two declarations of the Royal Lao Government, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, volume XVI, pages 1521, 1540, 1542, and 1543.
The ICC did not assemble in Laos until October 1, 1954, almost 2 months after the cease-fire came into effect, and it immediately encountered difficulties in supervising the withdrawal of the Viet Minh. As of the beginning of January 1955, preliminary negotiations between the Royal Government and the Pathet Lao had made no progress and no serious attempt had been made by the Royal Government to reestablish its control of the two northern provinces.