The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1946. ITALY'S EMPIRE.

Evening Star, Issue 25716, 13 February 1946, Page 4

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1946. ITALY'S EMPIRE.

Italy is in a sorry state. Five of the six political parties making up its Government are in a condition of disruption, and, with a world cereal shortage threatening Europe, the country is already dangerously underfed. Those troubles do not prevent some Italians from wondering with anxiety what is to become of the great Empire, which Mussolini built on sand, to be {heir pride. The Vice-Premier is hopeful that not all of it will be lost to Italy, but the signs are, that not much of it will remain, The Italian colonial possessions at the outbreak of war consisted of three groups—the Dodecanese Islands, in the Eastern ; the two North African colonies, Tripolitania and Cyrenaiqa, together called Libya; and the Italian East African coloniesEthiopia, Eritrea, and Somaliland. Ethiopia has gone, after the Italians had spent lavishly in providing it with new roads and amenities for its original population. If the rest go the loss will be chiefly to pride. The Dodecanese Islands should never have been Italian. They were seized by Italy from the Turks in the war which she provoked in 1911, and confirmed in her possession after the First World War, in which Turkey fought on the German side. But their population is predominantly Greek, and to Greece they will presumably return. Only one area in Cyrenaica, the Jehol Akhdar, is naturally suited to permanent European settlement. All the Italians fled before the setting up of a British Administration, and a natural future for the country would be that of a native State on the lines of TransJordan, with a Western Power under TJ.N.O. exercising supervision. To prevent new wars in the Mediterranean, a British base at Benghazi would be advisable. In Tripolitania, where some 40.000 Italians still remain, the native tribes are more divided; there are large- foreign colonies in Tripoli and other towns; to safeguard the Malta Channel, Tripoli should be in British hands.

Eritrea was most important to the Italians as a jumping-off place for their conquest of Ethiopia. Tne importance of Massawa. which would be almost uninhabitable without the inner tableland of Asmara, is that it commands the Red Sea. Somaliland was no more than a financial burden to Italy; Eritrea had the possibilities of becoming something better. Claims to the chief control of all these territories nre most likely to be complicated by Russia's desire to have an equal voice in the control of sea routes, in addition to I the vast land Empire which is hers, unbroken. %. Not part of her colonies,! but part of the gains of Italy from World AVar No. 1., are the Trentino, or South Tyrol, which was cleared of its Germans before this war, Trieste, and Fiume. The Austrian Government desires the return of South Tyrol, with a provision for its special protection by the United Nations to allay Italian fears of a strategic disadvantage. Any Italians who wished to return to Italy would be free to do so, and would receive compensation for loss of immovable property. Italy has no desire to make concessions of territory. The loss of South Tyrol_ would i mean the elimination of all Italian influence from • Central Europe. The Yugoslavs have their strong claims on tho" Adriatic. All these interests will take nn infinity of sorting out, nnd the Italian peace treaty is only one that has to be made. ,