MUTUAL MEDIATION MOVE

Evening Star, Issue 23422, 13 November 1939, Page 7

MUTUAL MEDIATION MOVE

Official Replies Despatched Warm Appreciation of Gesture 4 Issues Already Plainly Stated Responsibility Rests With Germany (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, November 12. (Received November 13, at noon). The King to-day sent the following replies to their Majesties the Queen of the’Netherlands and the King-of the Belgians. To Queen Wilhelmina he said: “ I have carefully examined, with my Governments in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the appeal made by your Majesty and His . Majesty the King of the Belgians on August 23, in the name of the heads of State of the Oslo group of States, in which your Majesty pleaded for submission of disputes and claims to open negotiation carried out in a spirit of brotherly co-operation. My Government in the United Kingdom, as well as the French Government, sent favourable replies to this appeal. 1 recall also the joint offer of the good offices made by your Majesty and the King of the Belgians to my Government and to the French, German, Italian, and Polish Governments on August 28. This offer was welcomed by my Government and by the French, Italian, and Polish Governments. A few days later the German Government launched an unprovoked attack on Poland, which has been overrun with every circumstance of brutality. “ My Governments deeply appreciate the spirit of your Majesty’s offer and they would always be willing to examine a reasonable and assured basis for an equitable peace. It is, as it has always been, my desire that the war should not last one day longer than absolutely necessary, and I can, therefore, at once reply to that part of your Majesty’s appeal in which you state your willingness to facilitate the ascertaining of the elements of agreements to be reached. “ The essential conditions upon which we are determined an honourable peace must be secured have already been plainly stated. The documents which have been published since the . beginning, of the war clearly explain its origin and establish the responsibility for its outbreak. My peoples took up arms only after every effort had been made to save peace. The immediate occasion leading to our decision to enter war was Germany’s aggression against Poland. But this aggression was only a fresh instance of German policy towards her neighbours. The larger purposes for which my peoples are now fighting are to secure that Europe may be redeemed, in the words of my Prime Minister, from the perpetually recurring fear of German aggression so as to enable the people of Europe to preserve their independence and their liberties and to prevent, for the future, a resort to force instead of to pacific means in the settlement of international disputes These aims have been amplified ,and enlarged on a number of occasions, in particular in the statements made by my Prime Minister in- the House of Commons on October 12 and my Foreign Secretary in the House of Lords on November 2. The elements which, in the opinion of my Government, must form part of any settlement emerge clearly and distinctly from these declarations of policy. “ Should your Majesty be able to communicate to me any proposals from Germany of such character as to afford a real prospect of achieving the purpose I have described above, I can say at once that my Governments would give them their utmost and most earnest consideration.” A similar message was also sent by His Majesty to the King of the Belgians,

AIR RAID WARNINGS

GERMAN PLANES OVER NORTHERN FRANCE ARTILLERY AND INFANTRY ACTIVITY LONDON, November 12. '{Received November 13, at 8 a.m.) The Paris correspondent of, the Associated Press of America says that military source’s state that German reconnaissance planes swarmed over Northern France this morning, resulting in air raid warnings over a wide area, including Paris, where distant gunfire was beard. The results of the anti-air-craft fire are so far not known. German mass flights yesterday wore accompanied by mile-long artillery barrages on two undisclosed sectors, followed by infantry attacks which reached the French second advance lines. The French counter-attacked and regained the lost positions, v LEAGUE OF NATIONS LORD CECIL URGES FULL RESTORATION (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 12. (Received November 13, at 8 a.m.) Lord Cecil, in a speech at Northampton, emphasised the need for the restoration of the League of Nations machinery to full efficiency. The supremacy of law in international affairs, he said, was no less important than in national affairs. Before peace could be talked about Germany must first withdraw' her forces from Poland and Czecho-Slovakia and Britain must build again a national organisation of peace-loving Powers pledged to prevent aggression.

AIR CASUALTIES TEMUKA PILOT KILLED LONDON, November 12. (Received November 13, at noon.) An Air Ministry casualty list contains 21 deaths, including two previously reported missing. Nino are missing, including four believed killed and four taken prisoners. Those killed on active service include Pilot-officer C. C. Cameron, of Temuka, whose next-of-kin lives at Timaru. MINISTRY’S LATEST LIST LONDON, November 12. (Received November 13, at 1 p.m.) The Air Ministry announces the following casualties on various dates:— Engaged in action: Killed, 2; previously reported missing, now reported killed, 2; previously reported missing, now reported missing believed killed, 4; previously reported missing, now reported prisoners of war, 4. On active service: Killed, 9; died, 8; missing 5. GERMAN MERCHANTMEN LEAVE JAPANESE PORT TOKIO, November 12. (Received November 13, at noon.) The Domei News Agency states that the German merchantmen, Elsa Essberger and Annelies Essbergcr, which have been sheltering in Nagasaki since August, slipped out to eca last night.