PEACE TREATY PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 120, 14 February 1920, Page 7

PEACE TREATY PROBLEMS

REVISION SUGGESTED

NEED FOR RESTORATION OF SETTLED CONDITIONS

THE REAL WORK JUST BEGUN

(By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright (Rec. February 13, 10.45 p.m.) London, February 13. In tho House of Commons- Mr. George Thome (Liberal—Wolverhampton) moved an amendment to' the Address-in-Reply regretting that the Government had not recognised the many impracticabilities in connection with tho Peace Treaty, nor appreciated the grave dangers to the economic position at Home and abroad by the/delay'.in restoring settled conditions in Europe and the Near Dast.

Sir Donald Maclean (Liberal—Peebles), quoted a message from General' Smuts, in which lie said Hint :tlia real work of making peace •. would only -begin - after the Peace Treaty was signed. He).ex-' pressed the opinion that the whole experience of last month had shown how >-i!i:.-il-ivi.tia|iv la'ceuriitu.'.' \yns_'..General Smuts's estimate of the situation. Sir Donald -Mac-Lean appealed to the-. Government to take a Ion? statesmanlike view, and further to-fix the amount of the German indemnity. ' He deprecated the length of (iho German black list. He foreshadowed years of international litigation in this connection, and urged that there was' no hone for a _ sound* economic future for Europe without free trade all round. ■ A start should be. made with the new States in Central Europe. Lord Robert Cecil (Coalition Unionist— Hitchcn) urged Hie impracticability of at present undertaking the revision of the Treaty, although eomo of the terms - might nave to bo revised later. Discussing Egypt, the' Middle, East. Mesopotamia, and Armenia, he said the situation was serious, chiefly owing to deiay in dealing wilih the- Turkish question. He deprecated further delay, aucl suggested that the League' of Nations' should publicly- debate the Russian situation. It should'also' send: two international missions to Russia, firstly, to ascertain what was going' on there, and, secondly, to define provisional bomidaries between. Russia ,aud tho border Stales.-Aus.-N.Z.; Cable Assn. ' REVISION OHM TREATY FORECAST BY LORD CTJRZOX London,' February 10. Speaking in the House- of Lords', Lord Curzou said he believed that a good deal of the Peace- Treaty would have to he rewritten and revised 'in" the"course ,'of time. None of its authors claimed that it was sacrosanct. Germany's failure to fulfil her Treaty obligations would., enable the Allies, to.aid' her in resuming her place amongst tho civilised communities of the world. He expressed anxiety as to the outlook in the Near and Middle East, and emphasised; r.h(» necessity, for a broad-minded view in settling " the difficult problems', not yet ; decided by the Peace Conference.—Renter,.