FRONTIER DISPUTE

Evening Post, Issue 26, 31 January 1935, Page 11

FRONTIER DISPUTE

ITALY AND ABYSSINIA 1)

BOOTS OF RECENT STRIFE I

The Leaguo Council can hardly ba|| looking forward to its January mect-| ing, when it will not only have to faea a recurrence of the storms it-has just' weathered but also a dispute between! • one'of'its:permanent members and thai kingdom of' Ethiopia, says a writer in) j the "ManchesteryGuardian;." In which. form the dispute will cOnic before tlia Council or what procedure!'will' ba' adopted is. still uncertain, bi^ti it i* high time that measures were, taken to,| end a/very.' dangerous, and quite . ita*' necessaty situation.-':'» - ;';;■,. I

• Therheavyv flghUng :a^Ual' -JJo.I an*] the- admitted Italian reprisals.on «n^j protected Abyssinian villages- are noti,1 isolated incidents:but- come ,-.at f ,the end, of a long series: of troubles -of;a much! more serious nature .than ; the "un« official.", raids of Abyssinian /freebooter* into Kenya. ' ■ . ■'■■'■■";■; ;''"•.<■''-!?■: -. '

There is actually •■ noj frontier between-Italian^ Somaliland and! Ethiopia. Delimited o? the •map, byj a reasonably straight'; -line -in tha / treaty of 1908, it has never^ been fullw v demarcated on the spot. ■ The ground! is ha^f desert,, half ..grazing country^ and many of the tribes semi-nomadio in character. Grazing lands change and well, lights change, and tribal boundaries'.with them.-; :

Since the <war, with the consolidation! of the Italian; J-ule, in their colony and the advent of'capital/and "a few settlers, the Italian Colonial has taken; matters pretty much; into, its own' hands. Using as a pretext the impossibility of '• adhering •to the treaty] boundary, it has staked?out claimstta lands which, are at, least arguably "on! the Abyssinian side of vit> and for soma years local Abyssinian governors hava reacted to the. process with ■ yiblenca and-the Central Government with pro. tests.-:'- '■■ •■,..:•:.'■;■:. -,;"; ■■..■■■ i ' :

" IMPERATIVE HEED. ' 1 It is perfectly true that Me straight* lino' boundary' is :absurd, but that' fact! alone makes it imperative that a pro,pei) demarcation should ,be made. The absurdity- of 'a position 'in .which ai semi-fortified post can be claimed ;by! one side as'sixty miles within, their! territory, and; by the .other ag forty] ;miles .withiii \theirs ; need not "b& laboured, aid if the; Italians will poti proceed with "the it is certainly time a League Commission! did. A ' disputed frontier is bad enough; a npn-iexistent frontieris quits)impossible. .;■■'. ■'"■■'. ' Tho; question.; of who ■■■ started thai fighting is EaMiy relevant, .until .th« rights to the scene of the fighting have been established. This is the point which the Abyssinians raise as; a suitable subject for -arbitration undeij their Treaty.of Conciliation and Arbitration with Italy .of 1928. Thai Italians,; despite "the, ; fact that. ,th» •frontier'ls- not demarcated,'^persist irt treating .the'-incid?nt;,as a-:cas« ofi warlike frontier violation .which is noti capable' of arbitral treatment. Thcyj irefus© to admit that there is anyj ■lack- of clarity about the • frontiei^ although it is largely by their: awn: inaction that it has not .been >adai dear by demarcation. The deadlock is complete, beeauss two : parties to :it" interpret the 'position differently.' ThDrAbyssiriigms want a disputed frontier. Bottled; the! Italians, claim; a < frontier/ -.unilaterally) and., want; vengeance ' from - a.-" violator! who-«laims, not -to be a violator^ Whatever the truth ; of \violation, the Italians have no case'for refusal! of arbitration. The text of the treaty is Plain^.-;,/^,;;-^";^..1;;;,,;;^;./ ■■ ■'■:. ■ v Both Governments undertake to submit ■ta V- procedure of' coociliatioo -and arbitration disputes which may arise: between them and which It m»y' not bare been. possible to settla by ordinary diplomatic methods' without hav-i tog recourse to ,armed force.- '"v .:

■The characteristic obscurities of thai ;text apart, the treaty obligation ;is clear.-' There is ;no ground' at _all ion which Italy can refuse arbitration, 'but she has chosen to use the method! of ultimatum. '.-*■ ' ITALY'S POLICY. i.The choice ib- not^ dictate d'^nerely b^ a preference for forcible methods. If is part of a deliberate policy. In the' past two years Ethiopia's military preparation's, have'caused a rgood deal .-jof alarm in Italian colonial quarters, which, know that neither Eritrea nor Somali-land-is defeasible and-would welcomS July; excuse to, increase'• the garrisons ;there:,Btati6ned.. Mote, , Italy,'s copar^ners in tlie-tripartite^;agreement guaranteeing^tho ; integrity so,fc ; iEthiopia have, Britain formally,. Fiance tacitly* recognised i Italiai.»pri6Wty.'of.' interest and'foiicedediher superior/Bc^'nomic interest in Ethiopia.' "i'THat!feiterest, sh» now re^ogiises,ris"b«ng*tfireatened by, the intensive efforjijpf* Japan to secure Ethiopia, as' an. o.verseas. market, art effort not unwelcome*to' the Ethiopian i Gov^rwneiit ;and one which .has provoked ' alarmist articles in the Italian: colonial Press and created the " scare'< of a Japanese "baso" on the Bed Sea^ '■ At the moment, too,. Trancp seems inclined to make overseas concessions . in return for support in Europe, and Italians hope to secure part if. not the whole of : Jibuti, i Abyssinia . there- , fore must, it is held-in ...Eome, be reminded on all' counts *of Italy's rights and, still...more, of Italy's strength. It is expected that the suggestion ■of by Italy of her only outlet and the terminus of her only railway will rouse a storm in: Ethiopia, and in anticipation'of trouble it is1 always good policy •to create diverting trouble. >,;.'..'; :',.': !;;,^ , .; The line E6me;:wiU iS prqpably take ii to inßist^thatth'e'^eaguei'Council is not. competent to deal''with ibe dispute until Ethiopia has: complied" with the" ultimatum and that', thereafterI' action is unnecessary. It is to be hoped that this line will be strongly resisted. The Council can 'confidently take its stand on the treaty of , .1928 and, insist on arbitration —not on the ultimatum^ whigh^s? indefensible, but on tHo frdntiet'^osition. If it.went further, and sentj a:::Cominisßion to demarcate it it1 wouidJ''4ogPPd service': to the. causa of,peace.:''.:;;.*-:x.: "■■.-,-■: '-'. >■;: -: ■.