WILL NOT TAKE PART

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 62, 10 September 1937, Page 9

WILL NOT TAKE PART

GERMANY AND ITALY

MEDITERRANEAN TALKS

SOVIET PROVOCATION'GIVEN AS REASON

United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received September 10, 9.40 a.m.). BERLIN, September 9. The German reply regarding the Mediterranean Conference has been handed to the British Charge d'Affaires. Germany declares her willingness to co-operate, but declines to attend the'special conference in view of the Soviet's provocation to Italy. The reply adds that Germany, in order to show good will, proposes, in agreement with Italy, that the Non-Intervention Com; mittee in London shall deal with the problem, especially as other interested Powers whd have not received an invitation to the special. • conference would then be enabled to participate. , v The reply recalls that Germany took similiar initiative for joint action as a result of the Deutschland and Leipzig incidents, and adds that the attitude then taken by England and France hardly encourages confidence in new collective agreements now. Italy and the Russian Notes . Italy's reply is almost identical with Germany's revealing intimate co-operation between Rome and Berlin. The Note states that Italy was preparing an affirmative reply to the British proposal when the new factor of the first Russian Note arose and the accusation was firmly rejected. This changed the state of Italy's mind towards the conference, and the Note declares that she must postpone an affirmative decision until the incident created , by the dispatch of the Soviet Notes is satisfactorily settled. Italy also makes reservations regarding the invitation of Russia to the conference. The Note then goes on, in similar terms, to the German, to suggest that the Non-intervention Committee examine the problem. Conference to Proceed A message from Paris states that British and French representatives conferred after the receipt of the replies and decided that the conference should open as arranged. It is expected that England and France will determine a zone in which submarines will be forbidden, and will take bilateral measures to ensure that the rule is respected.