THE TANGIER PROBLEM

Evening Star, Issue 19923, 20 July 1928, Page 4

THE TANGIER PROBLEM

ITALY'S POSITION DEFINED

(British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright

RUGBY, July IS.

Referring in the House of Commons to the initialling m Tans yesterday _of the protocol amending the Tangier Convention of 1923, the Foreign Secretary said its main feature was the accession of Italy to the convention on practically the same footing as the three original Signatory Towers—Britain, Spain, and France. Provision was made for an Italian judge and an Italian assistant administrator, as well as for Italian representation in the international Assembly New regulations had been drawn up for the Tangier gendarmerie, and the existing French and Spanish tabors would he disbanded. A certain number of technical amendments had also been made in the text of the convention, which would be published in due course.

Last year an agreement was concluded between the French and Spanish Governments in regard to the application of the Tangier Statute ot 1923. This agreement, consisted essentially or an acceptance by Spain of the continuation of th einternational regime and the abandonment of her earlier demand for a purely Spanish administration. In return for this France undertook To support the claims of Spain to certain concessions, notably the institution of Spanish police control in the Tangier zone. The signature of this agreement marked the close of the first long-drawn-out negotiations between France and Spain m which the British Government played the part of mediator. The next stage was the conference at Paris between representatives of the British, French, Italian, and Spanish Governments with the object of establishing the conditions on which Italy should share in thu administration of Tangier. The British official attitude towards the Tangier question has been governed throughout by the desire that the international status of this port should remain unaltered.