NEGOTIATIONS ON ARMS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21146, 23 April 1934, Page 11

NEGOTIATIONS ON ARMS

More British Efforts Urged

CABINET COMMITTEE v MEETS (r.iirnsii onranc wikkless.) (Received April 22, 5.5 p.m.) I RUGBY. April 20. ! The special Disarmament Commit- j tee of the Cabinet again reviewed j the situation in the light of the latest developments. There is no inclination here to minimise the gravity of the position created by the breakdown of the diplomatic conversations, but there are indications that, in spile of this discouragement, British efforts will not be relaxed. A renewed attempt to secure a convention is strongly urged by the "Manchester Guardian," which says I the terms of the French note make : impossible a continuance of the con- ! versations, but do not make further efforts at the Disarmament Conference impossible. There is no reason why France or Great Britain or the five smaller Powers which lately propounded a plan, should not make their own proposals at Geneva. It is pretty well known now what Germany demands, states the newspaper, and it would, therefore, be a case of discovering what a conference without Germany could agree to. After that it would not take long to find out what Germany had to say about the result. But in particular it has still to be discovered whether the conditions of i security which would induce the J French to reduce or limit their armaments—to limit, say, for live years and reduce during the next five—are such as this country can I possibly consider. Lord Robert Cecil, in an interview I with the "News Chronicle," suggests that Great Britain should agree to France's request for summoning the General Commission of the conference. Unfortunately, the Germans would not be there but every opportunity should be taken of informing them of the discussions. The executive committee of the League of Nations Union, London, also urges the Government to ask for an immediate meeting of the commission. Then, it says, Great Britain should present a definite scheme based on the general abolition of I weapons now forbidden Germany, together with equally definite proiposals for a collective economic guarantee of observance of the disarmament treaty, as well as a reaffirmation of all 'existing international obligations for the preservation of peace. In other quarters it is assumed that 'the next step will be a meeting of the bureau of the conference to proIceed with the task of preparing a | new copy of the original British draft convention, inserting additional points upon which general agreement has been reached.