LEAGUE COUNCIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 131, 16 March 1936, Page 5

LEAGUE COUNCIL

STRONG ACTION ADVOCATED. FRENCH AND BELGIAN PLANS. GREAT BRITAIN’S POSITION. INVITATION TO GERMANY. (United Press Association— Copyright.) LONDON, March 14. The special correspondent of tie Associated Press at St. James s Palace states that members of the Cornual the League of Nations, who on January 24 agreed to hold the next .meeting away from Geneva only if the m ternational situation was talmcr fcmn themselves to-day assembling, thiough a sudden change in the direction of the crisis, in Queen Anne s stately crimson and gilt drawing room at M. James’s Palace. , It was the first meeting of the League in London since 1922. Events have developed so rapidly since January that pressing invitations from iu. Nicholas Tituleseu (Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Senor Vaseoncellos (Portugal) to meet m Bucharest and Lisbon respectively were forgotten in the general agreement that London wms the most desirable vende for the present session. There were many, evidences oi haste in the preparations, which were so inadequate to accommodate 200 representatives of the world s press, that few of them gained places in the actual meeting room. Ihe guard room of the Palace, where Charles I. spent the night before his execution, was hastily converted into headuarters for the cable companies. The makeshift character of the arrangements was shown by the inexperience of the temporary officials, one of whom sought the credentials of M. Pierre Flandin (French Minister for Foreign Affairs) as he arrived at the door. . . Heavily framed portraits of British monarchs looked down upon the cosmopolitan assemblage, as, after half an hour’s private meeting, Mr S. M. Bruce (president of the League Council) and the other delegates filed in to Queen Anne’s drawing room and took their seats at the oval table beneath the magnificent antique chandeliers. Mr Bruce began proceedings by thanking the King for placing the palace at the League’s disposal,, especially as it involved the transfer of the levee on March 18 to Buckingham Palace. Journalists crowding round the doors to get a glimpse of the opening ceremony accidentally set a fire extinguisher in motion. The speeches were amplified' into the adjoining rooms. Great Britain’s Position. Mr R. A. Eden said: I will not have overmuch to say. The future depends on tlie wisdom of the decisions. In Great Britain’s view jt is patent and incontestable that a breach of the Locarno and Versailles treaties has been committed. If this conclusion Is shared, it would be for the council to endeavour to find a. solution of the difficulties. Our Locarno co-signatories cn the council May! count oil Great Britain’s fullest co-operation in endeavours to establish peace and understanding on a firm and enduring foundation.” M. Flandin said that German troops in the Rhineland w'ere not symbolic, but cci.listed of more than 30,9-00 regulars, mb to speak of those emunori\tod front Berlin. France has not so much used her right as obeyed her duty. If it were only a matter of right, the Locarno treaty authorised her to take urgently decisive measures, hut she was anxious not to add any element of trouble to the European situation. Therefore, France abstained, so as to give full meaning the respect to international law. French Claims. “The exchange of notes in May and June amply refuted the German arguments concerning the I ranco-Soviet. pact. Germany had not accepted France’s declaration to remit the pact to the Hague Court. She had not sought common discussion with the other signatories of the Locarno treaty. Instead she had voided the treaty, which Herr Hitler admitted had been freely negotiated and also article 43 of the Versailles Treaty, which article 44 qualified as a hostile act. Help Asked 1 For. “In asking that the violation should be borne witness to, France simply invoked the application of the law. Once the evidence was established it would be the business of the guarantors to furnish France and Belgium with the assistance which the Locarno Treaty provided.” M. Flandin impressed on the nonsignatories of the treaty that it was a question not only of the general peace but of the existence of the League of Nations itself. - It was a matter of knowing if a practical fait accompli, and a unilateral repudiation of agreements freely and solemnly accepted, were going to be put up with in Europe as a political system. He asked tlie council to bear witness to Germany’s breach to notify tlie signatories of the Locarno Treaty, and to put them in a position to fulfil their obligations of assistance. It would be for the council to examine how it would be able to reinforce this action by recommendations to members of the League. No doubt Germany’s decision had long been prepared. Germany’s arguments were nothing but pretexts chosen from others which had been considered, by tlie League before. France was confident of the impartiality of the Council, and confident of the wishes of the Powers to fulfil the duties devolving on them. France was resolved to put at the disposal of tlie League all her material and moral forces to help it to overcome one of the gravest crises in the history of peace and collective organisation. He added that France had the right, according to the Locarno Treaty, to take brutal and decisive measures, but relied entirely on the wisdom of the Council.

M. Paul van Zeeland (Prime Minister of Belgium) said: “The demilitarisation of the Rhineland is one cf the

essential elements of our security system, because we have the longest common frontier with Germany. _ The Locarno Treaty is the very basis of our international status. A breach of it is serious for a country relying on the structure of international law for security. Belgium has never given an excuse for any breach, and particularly in this case has applied the Locarno Treaty in the letter and the spirit, with scrupulous attention. ‘dn our eyes these pacts are intend,ed to protect those remaining faithful to them against those who do not. We realise that the international structure must be rebuilt, but none can deny that a severe blow has been struck in the eyes of the world, and perhaps in those of future generations, at the moral value' of an attempt to build on a structure of law, the weakening of which imposes new burdens and duties on humanity. Belgium is obliged again to appeal to the League. With a feeling of profound sadness and some bitterness, I have the sad duty of asking you in her name to consider the breach in accordance with the text of the Locarno Treaty.” M. van Zeeland also emphasised that Belgium considered that the Locarno Treaty provided a perfect formula guaranteeing world peace. It was not made for Belgium’s benefit alone, hut also for the advantage of Germany. There was no reason why Germany should in any way modify its relations with Belgium. Adjournment Taken. Mr Bruce declared that unless his colleagues desired to speak immediately this was an appropriate time to adjourn. He announced that the Council would meet at 3.30 p.m. on Monday. After the public meeting the Council met in' private to decide whether to send a formal invitation to Germany under Article XVII. of the Covenant. It finally resolved to invite Germany to attend future meetings. It is believed that it was assured beforehand that Germany will accept. The public session of the Council lasted only 45 minutes. M. Flandin and M. van Zeeland used temperate language and firmness. Their declarations revealed the strength of attitude they adopted during the private talks with the four Locarno Powers. An embarrassed silence met Mr Bruce’s question whether the other members desired, to speak. During the week-end discussions an endeavour will be made to decide what form the League resolution should take, for M. Flandin’s qnd M. van Zeeland’s declarations to-day were statements of a case rather than direct proposals to the League. Members of the Council lunched with Mr Bruce, when the solemnity of the occasion and the vastness of the issues at stake appeared to rest heavily upon them. About the invitation to Germany to attend the Council of the League, it was explained that a previous approach was made to Berlin, which constituted a “polite suggestion” that she should l’epresent the Rhineland at the Council meeting. This Germany did not choose to regard as a direct invitation. Consequently a formal direct invitation was made. CARGO OF NICKEL DETAINED. SUSPECTED GERMAN MUNITIONS. HALIFAX, March 13: A consignment of 73 large cases of Canadian nickel, to be placed aboard a United States freighter for shipment to Hamburg, was detained for investigation by Customs officials, in the belief that it may be intended for the manufacture of German munitions. DUCE MEETS AMBASSADORS. NO INKLING AS TO OUTCOME. ROME, March 13. Signor Mussolini had repeated Conversations with the French and British Ambassadors. No inkling of the attitude of Italy has been allowed to leak out. CLOSER APPROXIMATION. DISCUSSION BY THE POWERS. LONDON, March 13. Before attending the meeting of Locarno Powers this morning Mr R. A. Eden had a brief discussion with some of his Ministerial colleagues. After the meeting the following communique was issued. “The small committee of Ministers representing the signatory Powers to the Treaty of Locarno continued during the day its examination of the situation. As the discussion proceeded it was noted with satisfaction that closer approximation of views had become apparent.”— British Official Wireless. ANGLO-FRENCH COLLABORATION GOOD IMPRESSION IN PARIS. PARTS, March 13. There are no signs of the easing of the international tension, some observers even declaring that ITerr Hitler s speech has made the situation more acute. The fact that Britain considers the latest German proposals unsatisfactory, however, has produced an excellent impression in Paris, where it is considered that a peaceful solution can be obtained only by close Anglo-I*rencli collaboration, the newspapers pointing out that France has not refused comprehensive Conversations with Geima'ny. On the contrary, M. Poncet was entrusted on March 2 with a mission to solicit an understanding.