ITALY RESPONDS TO APPEAL

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21727, 9 March 1936, Page 11

ITALY RESPONDS TO APPEAL

WILLING TO ATTEMPT CONCILIATION ABYSSINIAN DISPUTE (UHITBD PBISS ASSOCIATION—COFTRIGHT ■) (Received March 8, 7.51 p.m.) ROME, March 6. Cabinet has decided to accept th« appeal of the Committee of Thirteen to attempt to settle the war by conciliation. WORK PROCEEDS AT GENEVA CONCILIATION AND OIL EMBARGO LONDON, March 6. Although the work of the Committee of Eighteen is proceeding at Geneva, through expert sub-commit-tees, attention for the present is mainly directed to the result of the renewed effort at conciliation begun on March 3 by members of the League Council, sitting without the parties to the dispute as the Committee of Thirteen. Important issues which are receiving the close attention of the British Government are raised in a request addressed by M. Flandin (French Foreign Minister) to Mr R. A. Eden. British Foreign Minister, at Geneva this week. These refer to the situation which, in the opinion of M. Flandin, might arise if, in the event of efforts at conciliation proving ineffective, and the decision being made at Geneva to proceed with an oil embargo, Italy should indicate her refusal to participate further in the Locarno Treaty, of which she is one of the guarantor powers. This is for the present purely a hypothetical question, for although the report states that the imposition of an oil embargo might cause Italy’s withdrawal from the league and her denunciation of the FrancoItalian military agreement, as well as her refusal to sign a London naval treaty, no indication has been given of the attitude she will adopt towards the Locarno Treaty. A message from Paris states that Signor Mussolini, in an interview, declared that the storm cloud at Geneva was most grave. “I hope the crisis does not destroy French said Italian -friendship, which is necessary for world peace,” he said. “I will do my utmost to prevent this.” EXPECTED RAID ON ADDIS ABABA ITALIAN AEROPLANE FLIES OVER CITY (Received March 8, 10.3 p.m.) LONDON, March 7. A message from Addis Ababa states that it is believed that the Italians intend shortly to bomb the capital, because a three-engined. Caproni bomber, appearing from the direction of Negelli, spent an hour circling over Addis Ababa at a height of 7000 feet, taking photographs and scoring ineffectual machine gun fire from the ground. The inhabitants removed beds and furniture and took up quarters in prepared trenches outside the city. Proclamations have been issued in the hope of ensuring the safety of the townspeople. All women and childen have been ordered to stand by in readiness to evacuate Addis Ababa at dawn. ITALIAN ARMIES ADVANCE ABYSSINIAN FLIGHT SAID TO CONTINUE (Received March 8, 7.5 p.m.) LONDON, March 7. Marshal Badoglio has reported to Rome that the remnants of the enemy continue their disastrous flight southwards, harassed by Tigrean and Gallaite bands eager to extract vengeance for long-suffered abuses.

It is merely announced from Rome that four Italian army corps are advancing. The first corps has reached Korbeta, 12 miles southwest of Amba Alagi, and the third corps has also turned southwards towards Fenaroa and Samre. News from the most important sector is briefly dismissed with the announcement that other Italian forces are “skirmishing” with the Abyssinian? in an endeavour to maintain a hold of the Takkaze fords in an attempt to secure the positions recently reached before launching a drive towards Lake Ashangi. The fourth corps, which was ordered to mop up the Shire district, has outstripped its supplies, necessitating aeroplanes dropping food.