EMPEROR AT GENEVA FOR LEAGUE MEETING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 9

EMPEROR AT GENEVA FOR LEAGUE MEETING.

WARMLY WELCOMED. Council Leaves War Dispute To Assembly. COMPLICATED ISSUES. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, June 26. Large crowds welcomed the Emperor of Abyssinia at Geneva, shouting "Long Live the Emperor," and "Long Live Ethiopia." Ras Nasibu and a few Ethiopian officials met Haile Silassie, who was accompanied by Ras IT/ It is understood the Emperor will not address the League. The Abyssinian delegation is headed by Ras Nasibu, assisted by Professor Jeze, the French adviser for Abyssinia. When the Council met at four o'clock in the afternoon it was expected that the proceedings would be short, and an adjournment was made at live o'clock. Formal conversations will continue in private until the League Assembly meets on June 30.

Mr. Anthony Eden, in his capacity of president of the Council, received the Italian representative, Signor Scoppa, in the afternoon.

It is expected in Paris that the presence of the Emperor will influence the delegates to the Assembly, who will confine themselves to appointing a cojnmission to report back in September.

The Geneva correspondent of ■ "The Times" says there are four.items on the agenda of the Council for its meeting. They are Italy and Ethiopia; slavery; the Treaty of Locarno; and the settlement of Assyrians.

The Council is almost certain to pass on to the Asseinbljv-the consideration of the dispute between Italy and Ethiopia. The second item, slavery, however, may provide a foretaste of the members' opinions about the position of Haile Silassie, for the experts' report on slavery mentions Ethiopia.

According to the rules of the Council a representative of the Ethiopian Government should be allowed to go to the table and make a speech. The question will immediately arise: Is there an Ethiopian Government*?

It is not expected that any Italian representative will appear. The Italia:; Government has announced that it will not participate in the proceedings of the League until the sanctions affair is cleared up. There are legal difficulties even if the sanctions question is settled in principle. Italy has been formally designated an aggressor. Will that condemnation be revoked?

No country so far has volunteered to propose this and if the autumn decision stands the obligations imposed by paragraph 1 of Article XVI. presumably also stand and Italy remains technically at war with all the other members of the League. REFORM OF LEAGUE. Question Discussed at Council Meeting. ITALY AN ABSENTEE. British Official Wireless. (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, June 26. Representatives of many countries reached Geneva this .morning to attend the League of Nations meetings. The Council met to-day for the first time since May 13. Its proceedings were expected to be shorn of much interest by the meeting of the League Assembly convened for Tuesday. The Council was expected to pass on to the latter the difficult task of considering the Italo-Ethiopian dispute, for the Assembly will have as its sole item of discussion, "examination of the situation brought about by the annexation of Ethiopia and also the situation in regard to sanctions enacted by the Assembly." It is expected that the representatives of a majority of the nations in the Assembly will desire to make statements. The British and French Foreign Ministers travelled by slow train from Paris to Geneva. After last night's talk at the British Embassy, Paris, between Mr. Eden and M. Blum and M. Delbos, it was announced that complete agreement had been reached by Britain and France on the attitude to be adopted at the League meetings. It was the first occasion Mr. Eden and M. Delbos, the French Foreign Secretary, had met.

Soon after arrival in Geneva Mr. Eden, who is presiding over the meetings of the League Council, received a request for an interview this afternoon from Signor Bova Scoppa, Italian representative, who wished to see Mr. Eden in his capacity as president. Mr. Eden also had interviews with M. Avenol, Secre-tary-General, the Yugoslav Minister, M. Pourritch, and the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Senhor Montero. Italy Sends a Note. Mr. Eden read to the Council a Note from Count Ciano, Italian Foreign Secretary, stating that while Italy would not attend the present session, she was prepared to resume collaboration with the League when the present situation was cleared up.

A debate followed on reforming the Covenant. M. Litvinoff advocated the appointment of a committee to examine definite proposals. He was not sure the League must be reformed, or that a new League would be an improvement, and expressed the opinion that the Covenant had not faiied but that arms which the Covenant provided had not been employed.

M. Titulescu (Rumania) decla-fi eliat it was not the Covenant those applying it who must be teformed.

Mr. Eden sugges*«*i awaiting the Assembly diseussi'T. The Spanish, Portuguese and T kisli delegates supported Mr. Edej .nd the meeting adjourned.