ITALY AND ABYSSINIA

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 9

ITALY AND ABYSSINIA

Friendly Negotiations to Take Place MEDIATION AT GENEVA (Received January 20, 6.30 p.m.) Geneva, January 19. Following the mediations of M. Laval, French Foreign' Minister, and Mr. Anthony Eden, British Lord Privy Seal, Italy and Abyssinia have agreed to undertake in the near future friendly negotiations pending the meeting of the League Council in May. The text of the Abyssinian Government’s memorandum on the ItaloAbyssinian frontier incidents, which was issued at Geneva yesterday, was based on Article 11, paragraph 2, of the Covenant of the League of Nations, and requested that the matter be placed on the Council agenda, states a British Official Wireless message. In pursuance of the British Government’s efforts to use its good offices with both sides to ameliorate the crisis, Mr. Anthony Eden, the leading British delegate at the Council meeting, together with M. Laval, French Foreign Minister. had a private meeting with Baron Aloisi to-day. A Geneva Press message states that it was then hoped that it would at least prove possible to prevent any hasty action and a postponement of consideration of the matter until the next session of the League Council was contem•plated. GENEVA MEETING Claims by Finland and Switzerland (Received January 20, 11.30 p.m.) Geneva, January 19. The League Council was unable to complete its business as expected, and adjourned until Monday after _ a lengthy discussion of a Finnish claim against Britain for approximately £ 1,000,000 for the use of Finnish ships in war time. Britain paid the Russian Government through which it chartered ships, before Finland’s independence, but the Finnish owners have not received the money from the Soviet. Switzerland also claims £2,000,000 for war damages from Britain, France, Italy and Belgium. Mr. Eden reproached Finland and Switzerland for bringing forward insignificant disputes which threatened to turn the Council into a debt-collecting agency. A report will be drawn up during the week-end on which a vote will be taken on Monday.