PEACE PARLEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 78, 2 April 1928, Page 7

PEACE PARLEY.

FRANCE'S ADVOCACY. Treaty For Universal Acceptance. REPLY TO AMERICA. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.)

April 1. The text* of the latest Note received by the JState Department from France was published yesterday.

It signifies a conditional acceptance by France of Mr. F. B. Kellogg's proposal for a multilateral treaty for the outlawry of war.

The Note contains an important reservation, however, concerning the obligations of France and other nations under the covenant of the League of Nations.

This reservation is considered in Washington as compromising Mr. Kellogg's plan for the renunciation of war. France asserts her readiness to submit to the British, Italian, German and Japanese Governments all FrancoAmerican anti-war correspondence, and also the draft of a general treaty pledging them not to resort to war. The Note abandons the previous insistence of France that the anti-war pledge should be restricted to wars of aggression.

Three points are outlined which France says are necessary if an agreement is to be reached.' They are:

(1) The treaty to be accessible to all Governments in the world and to come into force only after its universal acceptance, unless the Powers who sign it should agree upon it coming into force despite certain abstentions. *

(2) If one signatory should fail to keep its word the other signatories shall automatically be released from their engagements with respect to the offending State.

(3) That the renunciation of war to be proclaimed shall not deprive the signatories of their legitimate rights of defence.

—(A. and N.Z. and Sydney "Sun.")