COVENANT AND PACT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 50, 28 February 1930, Page 9

COVENANT AND PACT

HARMONISING PROCSS

PROPOSALS AT GENEVA

■ ■ British Official Wireless. (Received 28th February, 8 a.m.) BTJGBY, 26th "February. , The League 'of-Nations . Committee yesterday began consideration of the question of amending tho League Covenant to bring it into harmony with the Pact of Paris for Benunciation of War. Considerable difference of opinion was expressed as to whether the Coinmitteo should concern itself with the necessity for the revision of the Covenant. 'The British delegate. Lord 'Cecil; : contended that.' a : distinction should be drawn "between/the desirab: ility and possibility of revision and that the Committee's sole concern was possibility. Tho greater part of the session was devoted to tho discussion of this question and towards the closo consideration of amendments to the Covenant were begun. Briefly stated, the British Government's /proposed amendments favour an alteration in Article XII. by which the signatories pledge themselves not to resort to war until three months after an arbitrators' award or a League Council report in a dispute submitted in such a way that the Article shall pledge tho signatories "in no case to resort to war."

The proposed British amendment to Article XV. which, in certain circumstances, permits disputants to "take such action as they consider necessary for tho maintenance of right and justice" is that the action contemplated by this article should bo qualified by the words "other than by resort to war." By this means it is suggested that the gap between the Covenant, which in certain circumstances contemplates war, and the Pact, which renounces war, should bo closed.