ITALY AND WORLD PEACE

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22614, 20 January 1939, Page 11

ITALY AND WORLD PEACE

ROME VISIT MAY BE TURNING POINT

MR CHAMBERLAIN SPEAKS TO CABINET

ICiniß FEES* AEIOCLATIOE—COFTXIOBI./ (Received January 19, 2 p.m.) LONDON, January 18. The Australian Associated Press says Mr Chamberlain told Cabinet that events in the next few months might reveal the Rome visit as the turning point in European affairs. It was proposed to invite the Italian Foreign Minister (Count Ciano) to pay a return visit after the State visit of the French President (M. Lebrun) to London from March 21 to March 24. Mr Chamberlain announced that he was informing Parliament of Signor Mussolini’s assurance that Italy would respect the BritishItalian agreement in its entirety. He added that, while the Rome-Bei-lin ties were undoubtedly strong, there did not appear to be any concrete agreement on future policy. There was no possibility of Italy withdrawing troops from Spain before the end of the war, but there was little likelihood of increased intervention. Lord Halifax said chat at present there was no indication of the Spanish issue causing a crisis in France, although there was an agitation for the removal of the French Fc.-eign Minister (M. Bonnet) from the Cabinet. His successor will probably be M. Chautemps, whose views are vitally different from those of M. Bonnet. M. Bonnet at a meeting of the French Cabinet upheld a policy of strict non-intervention, quoting Signor Mussolini’s undertaking to Mr Chamberlain to withdraw all his fo-ces after the war and to respect the status quo in the Mediterranean. Cabinet approved, though some Ministers were reluctant. It also agreed that the foreign policy must be the protection of France’s vital imperial interests against attack and the closest every-day collaboration with Britain. The Rightist deputy, M. Henri de Kerillis, sent a letter to M. Daladier asking for a secret session of the chamber, so that the military chiefs could give an assurance or otherwise whether it was possible for France alone, or with Britain, to assume the defence of her empire, which was already threatened by the Italian-German claims. An Independent Cable message says M. Leon Blum addressed a huge Socialist metting demanding the reopening of the frontier. He said: “We are face to face with Italy, who is only waiting for a Franco victory to start her colonial race against us. The present situation can no longer ba continued. I hope our campaign will not be too late to save the Spanish Republic.”

GERMAN MINISTER TO VISIT ROME

ROME, January 18. It is reliably stated that FieldMarshal Goring will visit Rome before the end of January to exchange views on the military and political consequences of the Spanish war.