ENTENTE CORDIALE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18457, 19 January 1922, Page 5

ENTENTE CORDIALE

BRITAIN AND FRANCE. THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS EXCHANGE OF TELEGRAMS. Piesa Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, January 17. (Received Jan. 18, at 5.5 p.m.) M. Poincare has telegraphed as follows to Mr Lloyd George: “ I am anxious in the name of the French Government to express the assurances which I have already given in my private capacity during the friendly conversations on Saturday that France will be eager to take up in the most cordial spirit an examination of the various questions still at issue between England and herself. I am firm in tne hope that we shall succeed with mutual confidence in solving these problems in the best interests of our countries. The French Government is a faithful interpreter of the wishes of the Parliament and the people. I am convinced that both the peoples who were closely allied on the field of battle should, with their common interests in the maintenance of peace in, Europe, be able to ensure the execution of the treaties they have signed and reparation for the damage caused by invasion.” MR LLOYD GEORGE’S REPLY. Mr Lloyd George, in replying to the telegram from M. Poincare, said: “My colleagues and I received with great satisfaction your cordial reaffirmation on behalf of the new French Government of the assurances which we exchanged. His Majesty’s Government so recently outlined in published documents the policy of close co-operation which it desires to maintain with France that a repetition of that view is superfluous. Suffice it to say that we regard the safety of French soil against German aggression, the payment of reparation to France for her devastated areas, and a steady maintenance of the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles as the common interests of the French and British peoples, which they must stand together to serve. Wo desire —as we are glad to see you also desire—so to settle outstanding problems that nothing may impair the completeness of the entente between our peonle and yours, and thus carry the comradeship of the war into the higher task of bringing the peoples of Europe together in a just and abiding peace.”—A. and N.Z. Cable. THE ANGLO-FRENCH PACT DIPLOMATIC CONVERSATIONS. LONDON, January 17. An exchange of views between Great Britain and France with respect to the pact is likely to be carried on through the usual diplomatic channels. There is a strong feeling in Paris that any agreement between the two countries must be precise and clear and quite apart from bargainings over other matters, and that an agreement for mutual protection should necessarily take the form of a naval and military convention, as without some such alliance European peace would he insecure.—A. and N.Z. Gable.