THE PEACE OF EUROPE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 190, 13 August 1925, Page 7

THE PEACE OF EUROPE.

ANGLO-FRENCH DIPLOMACY. A "GENTLEMAN'S OFFER." ENTENTE BETWEEN COUNTRIES (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.} (Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, August 12. It is learned that five hours' conversations between M. Briand and Mr. Austen Chamberlain yesterday resulted in substantial progress towards the removal of a few points in dispute. The question of Anglo-French debts has not so far been mentioned, and nothing is likely to be done in this connection at present in view of M. Caillaux's expressed intention to come to London personally soon in order to make a "gentleman's offer" to settle the question. A French communique regarding the conversations says that complete accord has been reached on the terms of the answer to be sent by the French Government in its agreement with the Allies to the last German Note concerning treaties of mutual guarantee and arbitration. The conversations furnished an occasion for an exchange of views on the subject of the project of the security pact. Such a pact cannot take definite form until conversations have taken place on the subject between the representatives of all the interested parties:. The conversations in London have largely contributed to hastening the time of the eventual conversations which will permit a definite final result.A remarkable circumstantial account of the conversations between Britain and France is given this morning in the "Daily Telegraph" by its diplomatic correspondent. He states that M. Briand's draft reply to Germany was examined sentence by sentence. MR. CHAMBERLAIN PLEASED. Mr. Chamberlain and his lieutenants were decidedly pleased with the general tenor of the document, which was short, conciliatory and calculated to terminate the era of formal memoranda. It was inevitable that certain remarks which were contained in the German Note should be rebutted, such as the possibility of coercive sanctions, and the possibility of modifications in the occupation regime. In regard to the outstanding points, namely, treaty revision, arbitration treaties between Germany and her eastern neighbours, and independent sanctions, these say 9 the correspondent, were touched upon rather than discussed. The •idea was that they could more appropriately be thrashed out at a conference between German and Allied Ministers, or at a full international conference after the Assembly of the League of Nations. ', French circles, however, last night discounted the idea of a meeting between Herr Stresemann, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Allied statesmen at Geneva, or the idea of Germany's admission to the League in September. TENTATIVE DRAFT. The correspondent proceeds to discuss the tentative draft pact which M. Briand eubmitted to Mr. Chamberlain. He says: "Its underlying. conception recalls the Belgian Neutrality Treaty of 1839 and the Luxembourg Neutrality Treaty of 1867. "There is a lengthy preamble, in the course of which Britain, France, Belgium and Germany solemnly declare they each will, for the sake of European peace, respect the existing frontiers of the others. "The chief section relates to circumstances in which the guarantees would operate. The French would like to establish a series of flagrant cases in which the guarantees would operate, as it were, automatically, whereas the British Government wishes to reserve the right to intervene only in such a flagrant case as an armed invasion by either side, and also to reserve the right to judge whether a case is flagrant or not. "There is also the question whether, in any decision involving war, a specific prior reference will be| made to the British Parliament and to the Governments of the Dominions. "The draft pact and arbitration treaties were frequently referred to yesterday, but no decisions were made. Divergences of opinion are still substantial." The correspondent expresses the opinion that once an agreement has been clinched as regards the reply to be sent to Germany, other documents will be discussed, biit, most probably, they will only be fully debated at a later stage.— (A. and N.Z.—Reuter.)