RUSSIA AND HAGUE

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 4593, 20 May 1922, Page 4

RUSSIA AND HAGUE

ALLIES' PROPOSAL ACCEPTED. TRUCE TO BE SIGNED. (By Electric Cable—Copyright.) Aust. anu N.Z. Cable Association,) Genoa, May 17. M. Tchitcherin, in a statement before the sub-conunission, said the appointment of two commissions at the Hague seemed to the Russian delegation unfortunate, because it would perpetuate the Genoa situation. Nevertheless, the Russians accepted the proposal to mee at the Hague, hut protested against Germany’s exclusion as the question of credits did not come wituin the Rapallo agreement. He would have much preferred to meet at Stockholm or Riga, but was ready to go to London or Borne. He welcomed the truce, which should apply to all allied and Soviet Republics. He wished the scope broadened to include raiding bands such as Wrangel’s, and begged that such raiders bo removed to distant countries.

Mr Lloyd George interjected: What countries? Not ours. M. Tchitcherin said he reserved the right to suggest amendments later. He was anxious that the sub-commis-sion should recommend control of zones on the frontiers to prevent “incidents.”

There was a certain amount of discussion as to whether tho truco would bind Far Eastern Republics. M. Ishii wished to be clear on this point. ‘ i Mr Lloyd George said he wished the pact to apply to Asiatic as well as European frontiers. Speaking to M. Tchitcherin’s statement, Mr Lloyd George declined to deal with German admission, hut when it came to dealing with the commission’s report the Germans would have an equal chance of participation. Neither Rome nor London was agreeable to the British delegation. It was desirable that the work of the commission should not be prejudiced by what happened at Genoa. Discussions at the Hague had an international aspect, and should not ho coloured by what happened at Genoa, where so wide a divergence occurred as to make agreement impossible. The plan was now to see if experts could find a solution of the problems presented by the rival systems. Undoubtedly the difficulty had been tho gulf between these systems. He believed the existence of Russian peasant land ownership was bringing about some approximation of tlie rival systems. It was unfortunate that the first of May occurred in the middle of tho Conference. He believed the May Day demonstration at Moscow had a reper-. cussion on Genoa. There certainly would he two commissions sitting at the Hague. He begged At. Tchitcherin to look upon the organisation as a practical thing, not to make differences over tho form. He thought too much was made of IVrangel’s bands, which were a greater trouble to the countries harbouring them than to Russia. The latter would gain enormously by the fact that all countries were bound by the truce, thus giving a chance for things calming down in both Russia and elsewhere. Nothing amused him more than the way statesmen compared the inoffonsivoness of their own statesmen with the wickedness of others. M. Tchitcherin wanted them to believe the _ Russian leaders possessed the* Christian virtues when other countries were always plotting and scheming. He hoped when the truce was signed all would keep it.