ABYSSINIAN ROADS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 249, 17 July 1937, Page 6 (Supplement)

ABYSSINIAN ROADS

What Italy Wants Mussolini, anxious to secure sea outlets for Abyssinia, has made an offer to Britain which the Foreign Office has received “with little enthusiasm,” says an English paper. The Duce oilers Britain certain territories in Western Abyssinia, including Lake Tsana, in exchange for British Somaliland.

Behind this offer is Mussolini’s almost desperate need for a new road connecting Harrar, second alley in Abyssinia, with the coast. The shortest and most suitable road would be from Harrar to Berbera on the British Somaliland coast, passing through almost 100 miles of the British Protectorate.

Mussolini’s greatest difficulty in Abyssinia to-day is the lack of communication with the sea.

A road from Harrar to the Italian Somaliland coast would have to pass through hundreds of miles of mountainous and desert territory. A road from Harrar to the coast of Eritrea, which is north of French Somaliland, would also lie through territory which presents great obstacles to the engineers. So Mussolini considers that the most strategical move would be the acquisition of British Somaliland in exchange for territory in Western Abyssinia, including Tsana. Britain will point out that British Somaliland is not a Crown colony, but a protectorate. Though the Foreign Office will instruct Sir Eric Drummond. British Ambassador in Borne, to reject these offers, it is understood that the British Government is ready to negotiate along other lines.

Britain is willing, against definite assurances from the Italians to sponsor the building of a road from Berbera to Harrar, provided that this road is constructed by British engineers and British Somaliland native labour.