FRANCO REGIME

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25396, 28 December 1945, Page 5

FRANCO REGIME

FRENCH INQUIRIES AMERICA AND BRITAIN DISCUSSIONS PENDING LONDON, Dec. -M An official announcement confirms the fact that Britain replied last week to the French Note on relations with Spain. Another report states that the United States accepted proposals for tripartite negotiations. Reuter's diplomatic correspondent says the British reply, it is believed, did not recommend breaking off diplomatic relations at present on the ground that a diplomatic break would rally Spanish opinion behind Franco. It is believed, the correspondent adds, that the reply made no secret of the Government's dislike for the Franco regime or its desire to see it replaced by a stable democratic Government at the earliest possible moment. A Paris message says the French news agency announced that. Britain and the United States had accepted the French proposal for tripartite negotiations to discuss policies in relation to Franco's Spanish Government.

An announcement, citing no source, said the British and American Ambassadors in Paris delivered the replies of their countries to the French Foreign Minister, M. Georges Bidault, on Monday last. The American reply is reported to have stated that the t'nited States had no sympathy for the Franco regime, but did not mention breaking off relations. The British reply is reported to have said that Britain was willing to negotiate with France, but "for reasons of principle" was unwilling to intervene in Spanish internal affairs. A Washington message states that Mr Dean Acheson. Assistant Secretary of State, announced that the United States litis notified France of its readiness to discuss Franco's regime with Britain and France. Mr Acheson said he conferred receiitlv with Fernando do Los Rios, Foreign Minister of the Spanish Government in exile, on the Republicans attitude toward Franco.

57 MINES ASHORE CHANNEL HALE ABATES DISPOSAL SQUADS' WORK (Reed. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 27 Naval mine disposal squads, working night and day during the Christmas holiday on the "gale-swept beaches of the south coast, rendered harmless 18 mines that had been washed ashore by gale in the Channel, which raged until Tuesday afternoon and then dropped suddenly. The total number of mines washed ashore in the past week is now 57. The gale delayed 250 occupation troops from Germany coming home on com passionate leave, 'their ship loft Calais on Christmas morning, but was unable to enter Folkestone because of the rough seas and had to return to Calais, where the men spent Christinas.

INDOCHINA CONTROL

FRENCH TAKING OVER LONDON, Dec. 20 Disagreement between Paris and Chungking about taking over the administration of Northern Indo-China appears to have been amicably settled, says Renter's Paris correspondent. French troops will soon take over from Chinese armed forces in Tonking and North Annam. The French will simultaneously take over from British troops in CochinChina. Thus Indo-China will for the lirst time since the end of the war have come completely under French control. NEW AIR SERVICE BERMUDA AGREEMENT OTTAWA, Dpc. 20 Canadian officials who have returned from the civil aviation conference at Hamilton, Bermuda, disclosed that an agreement between Britain and Canada on a North Atlantic air service was reached. The agreement provided for British Overseas Airways and TransCanada Airlines to operate the service jointly, each with a weekly passenger capacity of 350 each way. The fare was fixed at 375 dollars each way. The officials said that insufficient planes limited the present passenger capacity, but it might be increased l within a year. ■

LAND MINES CLEARED MOSCOW. Dec. 20 The clearing of land mines in Latvia has been completed. Engineers raised 2.000,000 mines and booby-traps and defused and exploded 4,500,000 shells and bombs. NEW SOVIET DRUG LONDON, Dei-. 20 The Moscow radio reports that the Russian Institute of Malaria and Medical Parasitology has developed a new drug known as streptotrvcin, which, it claims, destroys certain bacteria which have hitherto been impervious to known drugs.