ITALIAN SCHEME FOR SETTLEMENT

Northern Advocate, 26 October 1935, Page 9

ITALIAN SCHEME FOR SETTLEMENT

MUSSOLINI’S PEACE TERMS INDICATED DISARMING OF ABYSSINIA : OCCUPATION OF TIGRE REDUCTION OF FORCES IN LIBYA [Special to “Northern Advocate .”] (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, October 10. \ N official announcement from Rome of the withdrawal of a division of 15,000 trcops from Libya to Italy, accompanied by another announcement of what the “Daily Telegraph” believes to be Signor Mussolini’s first definite peace terms, gives new interest to the discussions at present proceeding. The Italian spokesman, according to the Rome correspondent cf the “Times,” strongly emphasised that Italy was withdrawing all her troops on her own initiative and unconditionally. She was not asking Britain to make a corresponding gesture. Nevertheless, it was hoped that the Italian action would contribute toward a centralisation of the-situation, and to Britain seeing her way to withdraw some of her warships from the Mediterranean. EMPEROR ADAMANT WILL NOT CONCEDE INCH OF TERRITORY INDEPENDENCE MUST BE ASSURED ONLY GROUNDS FOR CONSIDERING TRUCE [United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright! (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 25. ' The correspondent of the “Times”* at Addis Ababa says that no basis presents itself for peace negotiations. The Emperor still refuses to make any official statement, because he has not yet been informed of the peace proposals, whose nature, however, he suspects, ( and the onus of refusal of which he prefers to leave on Italy. Nevertheless, he will not yield peacefully an inch of Tigrian soil. • Therefore, the proposal that Italy should keep her present gains, and, still more, any proposal involving the'whole of Tigre, must be excluded. The Emperor regards such a procedure as a breach of the Covenant. ’ / He is fully aware that the absence of massed tactics in connection with the occupation of Adowa, and the long period necessary to bring up his troops to positions on the northern front, give the impression that he is ready for a truce, .but he scorns to consider this, except on ' the basis of territorial integrity and independence.