"PEACE PLANS"

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 106, 6 May 1915, Page 10

"PEACE PLANS"

! ACCORDING TO A GERMAN AMAZING INTERVIEW. Continuing the series of interviews with' prominent Germans which it has obtained through a neutral journalist, the Echo de Paris recently published an account of a conversation with Herr yon Richfchofen, the German diplomatist After commenting that it was a matter to be greatly regretted that "international law had been violated by all parties in this war," and that Belgium "had no right to complain of her fate, whatever form it had taken, or might take," Herr yon Richthofen proceeded: "We lack statesmen. Herr Zimmermann (Secretary of ptate for Foreign Affairs) is the only one who really understands his business, but he ca.nnot do everything. It is against our principal enemy that we are fighting, the English. We have offered 'to make peace with France and Russia. • They are wrong to refuse ; that is their business. The best thing now is to impose cur will, by force. Once Russia is immobilised — that is all we aim at, not at penetrating into the heart of the Tsar's empire^ — wo shall have at our disposal a_ million men whom we shall hurl against France in the spring. We want to impose peace upon Russia and France, but we do not aspire to any territorial gains on either side. "We wish to conclude an honourable peaco with ' these Powers on the following bases : The cession to the German Empire of German Flanders, and the return to France of the Alsatian populations of French race, numbering about 10,000. As regards Metz, we keep it. On the Russian side, we stipulate for a return to the status quo ante bellum. Such a settlement would, among other advantages for us, have that of permitting us to attack England with equal forces." Herr yon Richthofen declared himself in favour of a Customs union between Germany and Austria, and then, in reply to a question regarding German action in the Balkans, he said : "From the military point of view our action in the near future will be directed against Servia, with the object of seizing the railway, which wo must have, even if it necessitates our sending down there 100,000 _ men. There are many reasons for this action — military, political, and economical. Above all, wo must, establish free communication between ourselves and our ally Turkey, and to do this we must have control of the Berlin-Vienna-Belgrade-Sofia-Con-stantinople railway. That ir. the only way in which we can prenare under favourable conditions for the invasion of Egypt. On the other hand, tho economical position of Germany will 'be considerably improved when we hold a clear road to Constantinople." Herr yon Richthofen considered that when^ the Servians we're driven back Bulgaria- wpuld' throw! off her waiting attitude, as Gerinahy had promised her Macedonia, and thus Rumania would be paralysed. 1 . _ :•,.., "As for Italy," Herr yon Richthofen continued/ "she will not move either, for she will obtain advantages without drawing the sword/,; She already .owes it to Germany that? she has been able to occupy Valona without striking a blow. The United" States, f6r their part, will remain on good terms with Germany." Herr yon Richthofen did not think that the war could last more "than a year, neither France nor Russia, in his opinion, being able to maintain their efforts for more than that period.