AUSTRIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXX, Issue LXXX, 7 January 1920, Page 5

AUSTRIA.

WANTED PEACE IN 1917

PRINCE SIXTE'S VISIT TO FRANCE

AND ENGLAND

BY CABLE— PB.ESS ASSOCIATION—COPYBIGHT

(Received Jan. 7, 9.25 a.m.) PARIS, Jan. o

A circumstantial account of Austria's negotiations for a separate peace in 1917 states that Empress Zita when in Switzerland gave her brother, Prince Sixte, a note from the Emperor Karl soliciting his aid to 6ecure peace. Prince Sixte said, that peace was unobtainable without the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine to France, the cession of Constantinople to Russia, and Albania to Serbia. Prince Sixte on March o handed to M. Poincare the Emperor Karl's note, declaring that he was a strong supporter of France, and adding: "We are absolutely not in Germany's hands, and only want to maintain our present frontiers."

Prince Sixte later visited Austria, when the Emperor Karl gaid that if he could not induce Germany to make a just peace he would make a separate peace rather than sacrifice the Empire to Germany's madness.

Prince Sixte had many interviews in France, including those with M.M. Poincare and Ribot and Mr Lloyd George. He went to England and saw Mr Lloyd George, who took him to see the King.

The overture® failed because the Entente was unable to arrange terms satisfactory to Italy, which insisted on receiving the Tyrol, though, according to Emperor Karl, General Cadorna sent an emissary to Berne offering a separate peace on condition that Italy received the Italian portion of the Trentino.

General Cadorna denies the story of the Berne mission as a pure invention. The Italian newspapers suggest that the story was circulated during the negotiations in order to cow dissension between Italy and the other Entente Powers by blaming Italy for the failure of the negotiations.