ALLIANCE FOR PEACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23356, 26 May 1939, Page 14

ALLIANCE FOR PEACE

PREMIER HOPEFUL AGREEMENT WITH SOVIET STATEMENT IN COMMONS British "Wireless LONDON. May 24 Regarding the negotiations between Britain and Russia, the Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, speaking in the -/House of Commons, said: "The House - is aware that Viscount Halifax was able -/to have conversations with French Ministers in Paris, en route to Geneva. Ho was also able to continue at Geneva conversations which had been conducted with the Soviet Ambassador in London. "As a result of these conversations •sail relevant points of view have now been made clear and I have every reason to hope that, as a result of proposals which Britain is now in a position to make on the main questions * arising, it will be found possible to reach a full agreement at an early date. • "There still remain some further points to be cleared up, but I do not anticipate that these are likely to give rise to any serious difficulty." The Prime Minister indicated that it would be unlikely that there would be any further development to report until after Whitsuntide, but he added that he,i hoped that, after the House re.'assembled on June 5, he would be able to give a complete account of the agreement, which he trusted might by then have been reached.

CONCERTED ACTION

. EVENT OF AGGRESSION . CABINET APPROVES PLAN LONDON, May 24 The Times says an agreement between Britain, France and the Soviet seems to be in sight. The Cabinet this morning approved a plan providing for immediate concerted action in the case of aggression against certain other .European Powers. whole plan will be worked out on a practical basis in the light of the British, agreement with Poland, Turkey, Rumania and Greece. The scheme contains all the fundamental points on which Russia insisted.

GERMANY AND CZECHS

SEIZURE OF TERRITORY RECOGNITION QUESTION British Wireless LONDON, May 21 The question of action which might invplve or imply recognition of HenHitler's seizure of Bohemia and Moravia caused many animated questions iii the House of Commons to-day. ' j Finally, Mr. C. R. Attlee, Labour leader, gave notice that he would raise the,, matter on the motion for an adjournment on Friday, gc Two answers made it clear that the question of recognition was being considered by the Government in connection with the future of British representation at Prague, and that the re- ' cent informal financial conversations regarding blocked Czech assets in London did not imply de facto recognition of the new status in Bohemia and Moravia. However, when asked for an assur- * ance that there would be no recognition ~ without prior consultation with the . House, the Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, refused. He reminded the Opposition that Parliament had its own conr stitfutional way of expressing its approval or disapproval of Government action in matters which were the Govr ernment's responsibility. iNSULT TO SWASTIKA Independent Cable Service PRAGUE, May 24 The first session of the new German Court sent three Czechs to gaol for three months for tearing down a swastika flag in a village on Herr Hitler's birthday.