NOT YET PRESENTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 10

NOT YET PRESENTED

ITALY'S CLAIMS

FRENCH REPLY TO DUCE

NO YIELDING OF ANY RIGHTS

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Received March 30, 2 p.m.)

PARIS, March 29

"France awaits the Italian proposals," was the effect of the broadcast by the Premier, M. Daladier, in reply to Signor Mussolini's statement of the problem between Italy and France. M. Daladier recalled the Note received from Count Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, on December 17, stating that he did not consider the 1935 agreement valid, and also the speech by Signor Mussolini on March 26 declaring that the Note of December 17 set out clearly the Italian problems as Tunisia, Jibuti, and the Suez Canal.

"1 affirm that the Note of December 17 did not contain any precise points," he said. "Its essential argument was that the conquest of Ethiopia and the formation of the Italian Empire had created new rights in favour of Italy. I need not say that we cannot accept this argument. It would mean that each new conquest would create new claims without limit." ,

M. Daladier announced his intention of publishing the Italian Note on March 30, together with the French reply given several days after its receipt.

He declared that France remained faithful to her engagements. ''France does not refuse to examine proposals which may be made to her," he said, in reiterating that the claims remain unspecified. "No one could argue that they have been presented by newspaper articles or street cries.''

M. Daladier said that France wanted peace, but if war was imposed or became the alternative between freedom and dishonour the whole nation would arise to defend its liberty.

He had sought full powers because it was necessary to take rapidly and silently exceptional measures for the defence of the country. France had listened calmly to noisy claims because she knew that negotiations could only reveal that she was in the right. France's position had been made clear. "We will not cede an inch of territory nor a siqgle one of our rights,'' he declared.

M. Daladier described charges of ill treatment of Italians in Tunisia as inventions, and referred to 900,000 Italians living in France who had not complained.

Referring to Munich, he said that France had not ceased to show evidence of good will towards Germany, but consequent on events in Czecho-Slovakia she had been dealt a very severe blow. Her persistent efforts none could deny. War would be a catastrophe for all nations. "In the name of France," he proceeded, "I invite the collaboration of all Powers which, like ourselves, are ready to collaborate for the maintenance of peace but who would rise against aggression with one bound. I know that these words find a brotherly echo in the hearts of friendly in Europe and across the Channel, even across the Atlantic." THE ITALIAN NOTE. The text of the Italian Note handed by Count Ciano to the French Ambassador on December 17 shows that the French Government on December 2 desired to know whether Italy considered that the agreements of 1935 were still in force and still served as the basis of Franco-Italian relations. The agreements referred to comprised a treaty for the settlement of reciprocal interests in Africa, and a series of instruments related thereto. Exchange •of ratifications did not follow, and negotiations were never even begun for a special convention regarding Italians in Tunisia, so the treaty was never completed. France's attitude to the Abyssinian campaign certainly was not in conformity with the intention of the agreements, which were never put into force and thus were made null and void. Moreover, they were over-reached by history.

The Foreign Affairs Committee is unanimous that the Italian Note of December 17 did not formulate precise demands.