AFTER THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 11

AFTER THE WAR.

POSITION IN SPAIN. Britain And France In Touch With Loyalists. ITALO-GEBMAN ASSURANCES. British Official Wireless. RUGBY, February 7. The Spanish Government having left Catalonia and the military situation on this front being in the final stages of disintegration, Britain has been keeping in close touch with France, with the view to concerting their influence wherever an opportunity may arise, to secure the avoidance of purposeless bloodshed. The two Governments are in touch with the Prime Minister, Dr. Negrin, and his colleagues on the one hand, and with the Franco authorities on the other, and they will continue to urge lumanitarian considerations, in furtherance of which their good offices will remain available. In view of these very rapid developments in Spain, attention is turning more and more to the situation which will arise if and when the civil strife comes to an end. The position regarding foreign intervention is governed by assurances which Britain has received from both Italy and Germany. As far as Italy is concerned, a most explicit undertaking was given, at the time of the Rome agreement, and this was renewed to the British Ministers when they visited Rome a few weeks ago. In a Note dated April Iβ, exchanged with the British Ambassador at Rome, Count Ciano put on record the assurances he had given in the course of the conversations leading up to the agreement. Having confirmed the Italian adhesion to the British plan for the evacuation of volunteers of foreign nationality from Spain, the Note added: "I desire secondly to reaffirm that if this evacuation has not been completed at the moment of termination of the Spanish civil war, all remaining Italian volunteers will forthwith leave Sp'anish territory, and all Italian war material will simultaneously be withdrawn. "I wish thirdly to repeat my previous assurances that the Italian Government has no territorial or political aims, and seeks no privileged economic position in, or with regard to, either metropolitan Spain, the Balearic Islands, any Spanish possessions oversea or the Spanish zone of Morocco, and that it has no intention whatever of keeping any armed forces in any of the said territories."

EYES ON MINORCA. Franco May Make Attack With 10,000 Spaniards. NO ITALIAN TROOPS. (Received 130 p.m.) LONDON, February 7. The British United Press Paris correspondent quotes "Le Soir" statement that General Franco intends an early attack on Minorca, which is already blockaded, threatening the inhabitants with famine. He will use 10,000 Spanish troops but no Italians in order to avoid perturbing Britain and France. His submarines reached Alcudia naval base, Majorca, but Minorca is heavily defended by long-range naval guns, principally at Port Mahon. Signor Gayda's outline of conditions of withdrawal from Spain include surrender of Loyalist Spain to Franco, the return of Spanish art treasures and gold from France. MR. LYONS OBJECTS. CABLE TO GENERAL FRANCO. MELBOURNE, February 7. The Spanish Relief Committee sent a cablegram to General Franco condemning "the ruthless bombardment of refugees in Spain and calling on the people of the world to refuse all trade relations with General Franco," to which the Prime Minister, Mr. Lyons, when informed about the cablegram, expressed objection.

Mr. Lyons eaitt the policy of the Commonwealth Government was noninterference and strict neutrality in the Spanish conflict.