A WISE MOVE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 61, 12 March 1936, Page 9

A WISE MOVE

MEETINGS IN LONDON

LEAGUE POWERS

DATES AND PLACES FIXED

THE PARIS DISCUSSIONS

miter] press Association and British Official Wireless. (Received March 12, 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, March 11. The announcement of the transference to London instead of to Geneva of further consideration by the Locarno Powers and by the League Council of the crisis precipitated by Germany's unilateral denunciation _of the Locarno Treaty and the entry of her troops into the demilitarised zone took most people .by surprise last night, but it appears to be widely welcomed in Britain and in most European countries as a step conducive to calm discussion of the delicate issues involved. The suggestion came from Mr.- Anthony Eden and Lord Halifax, the British Ministers at yesterday's consultations in Paris. It was approved by their Government and afterwards by the French, Belgian, and Italian representatives in Paris. Later, with the approval of the President of the League Council, Mr. Stanley Bruce, a proposal was circulated to the members of that body that unless objections were received the .League Council would hold an extraordinary session in London next Saturday. DELEGATE'S MOVEMENTS. According to present arrangements M. Flandin will fly to London tomorrow morning .and will be joined later in.the week by M. Paul-Boricour. The Belgian Premier, M. Van Zeeland, and the Italian Ambassador in London, Signor Grandi; are expected to represent their countries in the renewed conversations between the Locarno Powers. Mr. Anthony Eden and Lord Halifax returned to London this evening and proceeded direct to the House of Commons, where, in the Prime Minister's room, a special meeting of Cabinet was held to consider the situation in the light of the Paris conversations. The meeting of Locarno Powers will be held on Thursday afternoon or evening, in the "old Cabinet room" at the Foreign Office, adjoining the room in which the Treaty of Locarno was signed. Saturday's meeting of the League Council will take place in' St. James's Palace, in which the London Naval Conference of 1930 and the Indian Round Table Conference were held. No further information was given in reply to questions in Parliament on the subject of the position created by the events of March 7, questioners being referred to Mr. Eden's statement on Monday. Mr. Bruce returned to London tonight in readiness to preside at the League Council meeting. ■ The Secre-tary-General, Mr. Avenol, and sixty other members of the League staff are coming to London for the meeting^ which, if it occupies a week, will cost the British Government about £5000. POINTS OF FRENCH ATTITUDE. Yesterday's conversations in Paris consisted of a preliminary exchange of views and suggestions to deal with the situation, which is undoubtedly. difficult and serious.. The French representatives are understood to have pointed out that Germany had made her sudden "symbolic" military incursion into the Rhineland at a moment when France had actually asked for and was awaiting Germany's promised suggestions for a basis, of negotiations following upon Herr Hitler's statement regarding Germany's desire for peace, made in an interview with a French newspaper. Emphasis was also laid oh

I the point that Germany had chosen a strange method of "vindicating, her honour" by dishonouring a freely negotiated treaty as a preliminary to offering to negotiate another, and that such methods could only create deep alarm and indignation in France. The Belgian Prime Minister made the point that so far as his country was concerned Germany had not even the thin excuse of a pact with Russia to justify reoccupation of the former demilitarised zone opposite the Belgian frontiers. From the juridical viewpoint also M. Flandin was enabled to present a convincing case, and the points he made ,as to the dangers inherent in the practice of unilateral treaty-break-ing, were it to be allowed to continue, needed no emphasis. The British representatives, with every desire that something constructive should emerge from the present chaos, were fully alive to the serious issues raised by the German action. FRANCE REMAINS CALM. A Press message states that the news that the Council is to meet in London has on the whole been well received in the French Press. France is remaining quite calm despite the tensions of the situation and is apparently disposed to await developments with confidence. French newspapers stress the wisdom of the League Council meeting in London. Grave leading articles >xhort Frenchmen to remain calm and confi-, dent, which, indeed, .is the prevailing mood in Paris, though there is good reason to believe that the British delegates left the Paris meeting with an increased realisation of the serious issues created by the German action. "The Times" emphasises that it must not be supposed that the French monopolised the proceedings. France's juridical position is undoubtedly unassailable, and a telling point was made by M. Van Zeeland, Premier of Belgium, when he pointed out that although Belgium had not given Germany even the flimsy excuse of a pact with Russia, the former demilitarised zone opposite the Belgian frontiers had also been reoccupied. Nevertheless, the British delegates, while re-emphasising the British Government's grave concern at the German action, also re-em-phasised the British view that every effort should be made to find some constructive way out of the present impasse, if only because the alternative seemed to be an indeterminate period of dangerous tension and uncertainty, M. Flandin's reply was that no agreement with the present rulers would, in the French view, give any better result. The Belgian delegates are believed to have taken an intermediate view. The Rome correspondent of "The Times" says that the Italian attitude is not likely to differ very materially from Britain's. VIEWS IN GERMAN*. The Berlin correspondent of "The Times" says Germany considers that the decision to hold the League Council meeting in London is the result of British efforts to take the dispute out of the atmosphere of Paris and Geneva in the hope that it may be given more impartial consideration in London. This, it is held, indicates that Britain ts "taking the lead in the matter of raising German hopes of a satisfactory outcome. It is not yet known whether Germany will attend the Council meeting, but it is believed that the move to London is also an attempt to make sure of her presence. The correspondent adds that the German public have been given only a one-sided view of British reactions, the greatest prominence being given every friendly sentiment expressed in Parliament and the Press, while criticism is slurred over and even suppressed. Everything which can be construed as criticism of France is given prominence in heavy type in German newspapers, which do not even mention the propriety of violating treaties. ANGLO-FRENCH DANGER. The "Manchester Guardian's" diplomatic- correspondent emphasises the danger of an Anglo-French estrangement, pointing out that if it is allowed to develop it will compel France to consolidate her Continental alliances, renew the military agreement

With Italy, and act -to her utmost to force a decision before Germany has completed her re-armament. France and her allies see themselves in mortal danger. Feeling on the Continent, the strength of which impressed Mr. Eden, is that if Herr Hitler is allowed to get away with it, the annexation of Austria and the partition of Czechoslovakia will be only a matter of time. Herr Hitler fears Anglo-French cooperation most of all. It must be made clear to Germany that the only alternative to withdrawal of the troops from the Rhineland and the commencement of negotiations on the basis of status quo is a defensive "encircle,ment" of Germany.