ABYSSINIAN ROADS

Evening Star, Issue 22718, 4 August 1937, Page 16

ABYSSINIAN ROADS

WHAT ITALY WANTS . , Mussolini, anxious to secure sea outlets for Abyssinia, has made an otter to Britain which the Foreign Office has 'frcccivccl “ with .little entnusi&siiij feavs an English paper. ... . The Duce offers Britain certain territories in Western Abyssinia, including Laike Tsana, .in exchange for British Somaliland. ■ ' Behind this offer is Mussolini s almost desperate need for a new road, connecting Harrar, second only m Abyssinia, with the coast. . The' shortest and most suitable road would, bo from Harrar to Berbera on the British passing through almost 100 mites of the British Protectorate. . ~ Mussolini’s, greatest difficulty in Abyssinia to-day is the lack of communication with the.sea.' A road from Harrar to tho Italian Somaliland coast would have to pass through hundreds of miles of mountainous and desert territory. A road from Harrar to the coast of Eritrea, which is north of trench Bomaliland._ would also lie through territory which presents great obstacles to the engineers. ' ' . ' So, Mussolini considers that the most strategical move would be the acquisition of British Somaliland in exchange (or territory in Western Abyssinia, including Tsana. Britain will point out that British Somaliland is not a Crown colony, but a protectorate. Though the Foreign Office will instruct Sir Eric Drummond, British Ambassador in Rome, tq reject these offers, it is understood that the British Government is ready to negotiate along other lines. , Britain is willing, against definite assurances from the Italians, to sponsor the building of a road from Berbera to Harrar, provided that this road (is constructed by British engineers and British Somaliland native labour.