DECEPTIVE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 151, 27 June 1940, Page 8

DECEPTIVE.

ARMISTICE TERMS

Surface Leniency Must Be ' Discounted. REAL' INTENTIONS MASKED. ■ - .British Official Wireless. (Received 1 p.m.) . . RUGBY, June 26. Authoritative circles •in London regard the.terms dictated by Italy to France as deceptive. At first glance, it might'be thought that they are not severe, but it must be remembered that these are only provisions to cover the interim period before the treaty of peace itself is negotiated.

Clearly, Italy's object is to ensure the demilitarisation' of all zones of interest to her in the Mediterranean, and this is expressly provided for in the terms now published. ■ Occupation for the moment is limited to a line occupied by Italian troops ■when the. agreement comes into force, but it must be. supposed that the Italians intend, when peace negotiations are undertaken, to occupy all-territories they covet. To ensure that they will be able to do so, they are now taking steps to render impossible any resistance in these territories. ' What Demilitarisation Means. Thus,' demilitarisation includes the surrender of all weapons, installations, stocks of ammunition and demolition of fortifications and corresponding stocks of ammunition. Further, all land, sea and air forces of France itself arc to be demobilised and disarmed, within aperiod to be fixed. . In addition, Italy. reserves the right to demand as a guarantee, of the-ful-filment of the armistice, conditions, complete or partial surrender of weapons, tanks, armoured cars and vehicles of all kinds, and munitions belonging to those units which fought against Italian troops.

This'last condition suggests, perhaps, that the Italian Army, while naturally anxious to disarm completely its opponents, is not averse to swelling its. own stocks. ■ - : ■

Terms concerning those portions of the French fleet to be : plnccd under Italian control nre similar to the terms exacted by Germany. They provide that the French fleet U to bo concentrated in-ports, to be indicated, and.to be demobilised and disarmed under the control of Italy and Germany.

Like Germany, Italy declares it does not intend to use in the present war units of the French fleet placed under its control. Further, on the conclusion of peace, Italy does not intend to lay claim to the French fleet. Italian Promise Scorned. No reliance can, of course, be placed on any German or Italian promise, and Sir. Churchill yesterday, iu the House of Commons, asked what value we could attach to these assurances, adding that,the situation is so uncertain-■ and obscure that he could not attempt to pronounce or speculate upon it.

Particular note, it is felt, should be taken-if-tlie::fact--Ahat:ltaly. will now have the full and uninterrupted right to use the ports and harbours of Jibuti and the Addis Ababa railway. The Italians, no'doubt, hope by this article to keep 'their .crumbling East African empire alive.'.

I Summing up, it is considered tliat tlie French have, by tho acceptance of these specious terms—specious in the sense that they appear to be more lenient on the surface than, of course, in fact, they are—delivered themselves hand and foot to the Italians, whoso object it is, in due coursej to nnncx till the mctropolitan and colonial, territory, they could.

For-the moment, their occupation is limited to the- lines they occupy, which means a small amount of territory on the Montono front, but this is merely a presage and a guarantee of occupations and annexations to come.

GERMAN COMMENT. • HARD. BUT NOT UNJUST. (Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, June 26. ■ The German radio declared that the terms of the armistice to Franco were hard but not unjust. They were necessitated by the imperative need to secure the most favourable strategic position for the continuance of the war against England. ~

The armistice was not an interruption of the \var;'.bjit the termination of the struggle on the Continent.