ANSWER TO BRITAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 17, 20 January 1940, Page 10

ANSWER TO BRITAIN.

Working Of American Coast Safety Zone. ARGENTINIAN STATEMENT. BUEXOS AYRES, January 19. As a result of the recent British Xote to the Pan-American Governments 011 tlio proposed safety zone, the Argentine Foreign Minister. Senor Jose C'antilo, lias issued a statement saying: "Britain and the other belligerents are closing their eyes to reality if they are pretending that international law is so fixed that the American republics cannot legally protect their shores from incursions "from the European war." Scnor C'antilo admitted that alterations to international law must be made by mutual agreement among all the nations interested. He added: "The republics arc not trying to legislate for others. The rules which they adopt are applicable only in the Americas, but belligerents must be willing to negotiate with neutrals as equals instead of forcing unilateral decisions upon them." Sonor C'antilo said he fully agreed with the British thesis that the safety zone must not be permitted to become a safety zone for the Germans, but he disagreed with the contention that nothing in international law authorises neutrals to apply sanctions against belligerents who violate the zone. He quoted Article IX. of the Hague Convention, providing that a neutral may prohibit the access to its ports of a belligerent vessel which fails to comply with orders or resolutions decreed by the neutral. If the Allies agreed not to send warships into the safety zone it would be possible to get Germany to agree likewise. Me disclosed Argentina's proposed internment of all belligerent merchantmen remaining too long in American ports.