WAY STILL OPEN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 79, 14 March 1936, Page 5

WAY STILL OPEN

Germany Can Yet Make Peace Gesture POWERS HOLD OUT OFFER (British Official Wireless.) (Received 14, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 13. Before attending this morning’s meeting of the Locarno Powers, Mr Anthony Eden had a brief discussion with some of his Ministerial colleagues. After the meeting the following communique was issued: “A small committee of Ministers representing the signatory Powers of the Treaty of Locarno continued during the day its examination of the situation. As the discussion proceeded it was noted with satisfaction that a closer approximation of views had become apparent.” The chief delegates of the four Locarno Powers met alone for two hours. No statement was issued. The meeting was resumed in Mr AnthonyEden’s room at 5 p.m. The closest secrecy surrounds the Locarno discussions. It is understood that Mr Eden intimated to the German Ambassador that Britain still leaves open the proposal that Germany should make a spontaneous gesture towards settlement. There is no indication whether the talks were sufficiently far advanced to enable a meeting of the Council of the League of Nations to-morrow, for which extensive preparations were being made at St. James’s Palace all day. His Majesty has thrown open the State apartments to accommodate the secretarial staffs of the delegations. It may be the middle of next week before the Council sits in public. Mr Stanley Bruce, president of the League Council, has not received an answer to the invitation to Germany to be represented at the League Council. It now seems unlikely that Germany will accept, though Mr Bruce had intended to ask her representative to sit at the Council table despite the fact that Germany is not a member of the League. It is expected that, unless the Locarno Powers’ conversations progress rapidly to-night, to-morrow’s Council meeting will be brief and formal and will adjourn till Monday, because it is not desired to consider any resolution condemning the remilitarisation of the Rhineland unless the next steps are agreed upon.

The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent says that the attitude of the French delegation stiffened following the arrival of JI. Paul-Boncour, who attended yesterday’s meetings. France persists that it is impossible for her to participate in negotiations with Germany until international law is again established. She demands that the Rhineland troops be withdrawn and is pressing England energetically to this effect. The British Government, which at first was disposed to accept occupation as an accomplished fact, has moved substantially from this attitude in the last 43 hours.