Soviet Wants Pact of Mutual Assistance by All Guarantors

Northern Advocate, 16 May 1939, Page 7

Soviet Wants Pact of Mutual Assistance by All Guarantors

(Received 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15. JJEUTER LEARNS FROM RUSSIAN QUARTERS IN LONDON THAT THE SOVIET COMMUNICATION REGARDS THE BRITISH PROPOSAL AS UNSATISFACTORY, NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH, AND NOT EVEN INDIRECTLY GUARANTEEING SOVIET TERRITORY, BESIDES LEAVING A WIDE GAP BETWEEN POLAND AND FINLAND, WHERE BORDER STATES ARE NOT COVERED.

No account was taken of the possibility of a direct attack against Soviet territory. The Soviet presses for a pact v of mutual assistance, covering both diroot and indirect attacks, not only upon the territories of the guaranteed States, put on the contracting parties.

> Further Communication Awaited. A British Official Wireless message says that further communication has oecn received by the Foreign Office from the Soviet relevant to negotiations between Britain and Russia, and is under examination.

A reply had not arrived when Mr Chamberlain answered questions in the House of Commons. He said he was unable to amplify WedOssd'ajy’s (statement, adding that

Viscount Halifax would have a&i opportunity to pursue conversations with the Soviet representative at Geneva.

Mr Chamberlain also answered a question relative to the attitude of Poland and Rumania towlardfc the Russian negotiations, which, he said, were well known to Britain, though they had not been given formal shape. He insisted that it would be inappropriate for him to disclose these views, all the more since the recent visits of M. Potemkin, Soviet Un-der-Commiss'ar for Foreign Affairjs, to Bucharest and Wars'aw would have given the opportunity for an exchange of views between the Soviet representative and the two Governments.

Mr R. A. Butler was asked what ■.were Britain’s obligations towarlds Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and whether, in the event of Russia being involved in war as a result of defending any of these States under aggression, Britain was under an obligation to some to the aid of Russia.

Mr Butler replied: “The Government is under no obligations to these States except such 'as they may derive from their membership of the League of Nations.”