DUTY OF ITALIANS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 91, 14 October 1943, Page 5

DUTY OF ITALIANS

ISSUE CLARIFIED

Rec. noon. RUGBY, October 13. The Italian declaration of war will, it is hoped, clarify the situation in the minds of Italians, whose duty will be more than «ver clear. A co-belligerent is not an ally. Cobelligerency, not being legal status, is conceived as a state of affairs deriving validity from the fact of active cooperation in war. To the extent that her co-operation is forthcoming, Italy will benefit from the new situation recognised by Britain, the United States, and Russia. Messages from Algiers indicate that at Allied headquarters it is expected that the German violence and savagery will provoke the. Italians to fight back. At all events, the manner in which the Italian troops and civilians have been and are being treated by the Germans cannot fail to be contrasted with the relations now existing between the Italians and their new co-belligerents. This consideration has special relevance in those areas where the Italians have not been overpowered by the German forces, particularly in Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece, in many parts of which countries Italians are working with the local patriots against the Ger- j man garrisons. Italian troops remaining armed in territory occupied by the Allies—for j instance, in Sardinia, where they help- j ed to take over the island —will now have a more definite status. The same applies to the Italian fleet, which retains all its armaments and crews; and to the Italian airmen who obeyed instructions to fly to Allied bases. All these units are now armed forces of a nation which is fighting Germany at the side of the United Nations. They can therefore be allotted, as necessary, to such duties as the Allied High Command thinks fit. The question of Italian prisoners of war held by the Allies is under consideration. At present the event is expressly stated to be without prejudice to the terms of the armistice. Replying to a question in the House j of Commons today, the Minister of i State, Mr. Law, said that the titles of Emperor of Ethiopia or King of! Albania were added to the title of the King of Italy in a recent decree. The ■ King would in future be referred to! as the King of Italy; The British Government naturally did not recognise hisf as Emperor of Ethiopia or King of Albania.—B.O.W. . |