SPANISH LULL

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 266, 6 August 1937, Page 11

SPANISH LULL

Rebels Consolidating Position MADRID SITUATION Little Change Caused By Past Month’s Fighting DESERTED COUNTRYSIDE By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, August 4. The Salamanca correspondent of “The Times” says that Nationalist Spain is lulled after the storm over Brunete, where not even a flicker of civil life is returning. General Varela's > troops are consolidating the position they recaptured with a view to rendering a repetition of surprise attacks by the Government troops impossible. The situation round Madrid has been little changed by last month’s fighting. Insurgent columns operating on the Teruel front entered Cuenca province, but they do not intend to advance in force, contenting themselves with cleaning up and cutting off the retreat of the loyalists, thr.ee hundred and fifty of whom surrendered. The whole countryside to the west of Teruel is a wilderness of deserted camps. Bridges have been blown up and the roads are impassable owing to wrecked lorries. The villages are deserted, villagers hiding in the pine woods. NO RECOGNITION Vatican Attitude l To Franco REPORT , DENIED Vatican City, August 4. A communique denies that General Franco’s Government has been recognised. It says that the arrangements are unchanged. The Holy See is still represented in Nationalist Spain by the Archbishop of Toledo, but not diplomatically or officially. Monsignor Antoniutti has gone to Spain not for official but rather for humanitarian purposes, and also to reconcile the Basques and Catholics with General Franco. Don Pablo Churruca has taken over the existing post of semi-official representatiove of General Franco to the Vatican. SPECIAL (COUNCIL Represent Valencia in Northern Spain (Received August 5, 10.45 p.m.) London, August 5. The Barcelona correspondent of “The Times” reports that the Valencia Government is creating a special council to represent it in Northern Spain. It will be empowered to take urgent decisions without reference to Valencia. Headquarters will probably be at Santander. The decision is due to the isolatiou of the loyal territory along the Cantabrian coast from the rest of Valenciacontrolled Spain. NON-INTERVENTION No Change in Russian Policy (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, August 4. No date has been fixed for the next meeting of the Non-Intervention Committee, but it is considered possible that Lord Plymouth may call the chairman’s sub-committee together on Friday. He has been keeping in close touch with all members of the committee and to-day held conversations with the French. Italian and Russian Ambassadors. He is seeing the German Charge d’Affaires to-morrow. A report that Russia was willing to reconsider her refusal to grant General Franco belligerent rights until all volunteers, including Moroccans, are withdrawn, is denied by the Soviet Embassy in London. The report stated that Russia would insist on Italy and Germany definitely agreeing to the principle of the withdrawal of volunteers and the fulfilment of the British condition that belligerent rights would not be granted until a substantial number of volunteers had been withdrawn. A Paris message says M. Delbos, Foreign Minister, postponed his holiday a day in order to appeal to M. Sui'itz, Russian Ambassador, to urge the Soviet to modify its Spanish policy. M. Delbos took a.firm line, declaring that France could not support the view that Moroccans are foreign volunteers like Italians and Germans.