SWING TO AXIS BY YUGOSLAVIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 95, 24 April 1939, Page 7

SWING TO AXIS BY YUGOSLAVIA.

ITALIAN CLAIMS.

Confidence After Parleys In Rome. ACCORD WITH HUNGARY. United Press Association.— Copyright. (Received 11.30 a.m.) ROME, April 23. The Italian Press hails the talks between Count Ciano, Italian Foreign Minister, and M. Markoviteh, slav Foreign Minister, as the forerunner to a permanent peace in Central Europe. The talks are reported to have produced a complete reaflinnation of ItalianYugoslav political collaboration in an atmosphere of great cordiality. Rignor Gayda, Signer Mussolini's Press mouthpiece, in "Voce d'ltalia" says the meeting consecrates peace in the Adriatic. Yugoslavia, he says, has every reason to associate herself with the axis. The talks "definitely disperse attempts to woo her into a risky venture against Italy and Germany."

A communique issued after the talks says it was agreed to intensify ItalianYugoslav collaboration, also that between Yugoslavia, and Germany—both politically and economically in order to preserve peace and improve conditions and stability in the Danubian region. Regarding Hungary, the Ministers were pleased to discover that recent developments paved the way to a profitable understanding between Belgrade and Budapest. Ten thousand students In Belgrade, said an earlier dispatch, declared allegiance to democracy and urged the Government not to cloak adherence to totalitarianism with the appearance of neutrality. They demanded defence of every foot of Yugoslavia, and appealed for unity of Croats, Serbs and Slovenes.