AUSTRIA WANTED PEACE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1717, 7 January 1920, Page 5

AUSTRIA WANTED PEACE

KARL’S ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN IT

WHY THEY FAILED.

By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association .Received January 7, 9.25 u.m. PARIS, Jan. 5,

A circumstantial account of Austria’s negotiations for a separate peace in 1917 states that the Empress Zita, when in Switzerland, gave her brother the Grand Duke Sixte a note from the Emperor Karl soliciting his aid to secure peace. Sixte said peace was unobtainable without the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine to France, the cession of Constantinople to Russia, a)id of Albania "to 'Senna, On.March 5, 1917, Sixte handed to President Poincare the Emperor Karl’s note declaring he was a strong supporter of France, and adding ri “We absolutely are hot in the Germans’ hands, only we want to maintain our present frontiers.” Sixte later visited Austria and saw Karl, who said if he could* not induce Germany to make a just penfco he would make a separate peace, rather than sacrifice the Empire to Germany’s madness. Sixte had many interviews' in France, including one with President Poincare, M. Ribot ' and Mr Lloyd George. Ho went to England and saw Mr Lloyd George, who, took him to sec King. The overtures failed because the Entente was unable to arrange terms satisfactory to Italy, which insisted upon receiving the Tyrol, though, according to Karl, General Oadorna sent an emissary to Borne offering a separate peace on condition that Italy should receive the Italian portion of Trentino. \ . , .., General Qadorna domes the story of the Borne mission as a pure invention. The Italian newspapers suggest that the story was circulated during the negotiations, in order to sow dissension between Italy and the other Entente .Powers by blaming Italy for tho failure of the negotiations. > i