REPARATIONS AND SECURITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19136, 2 April 1924, Page 7

REPARATIONS AND SECURITY.

FRANCE’S DUAL PROBLEM. ALLIED AGREEMENT DESIRED. STATEMENT Bl M. POINCARE. Pnu Association —By Totejjraph—Copyright PARIS, March 31. M. Poincare, in a Ministerial declaration in the Chamber of Deputies, said that Prance would only withdraw from the Ruhr proportionately as Germany fulfilled her obligations. He was most desirous to secure agreement among the Allies at the earliest possible moment on reparations and the security of Franco. He hoped that the experts’ report would lead to a speedy general settlement. M. Poincare went on to say that the new Cabinet, which had been formed m a spirit of Republican union and national concord, was determined to pursue unflinchingly the late Government s foreign policy. r Tho Government was ready to seek with its friends the elements of a definite solution of the various problems. Any Power which subsequently sought to disturb European order and recover its lost provinces would arouse universal indignation, and those who barred the road would earn the approval of the whole world. France was not imperialistic, and if she were given the peace to which, she was entitled, she would march with the right towards the new sun, the rising of which, though long delayed, was awaited feverishly. by the world. At Home the main task would be drastic financial reform. —Reuter and A. and N • • Cables. More and more .discussion of the Ruhr problem is concentrating upon the issue of “security.” By “security” is meant primarily the security of France, yet also the security of Europe against another war, wrote the diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Chronicle some little time ago. Until this issue is somehow or other got out of the road it is recognised as impossible to attain a fair, objective, impartial discussion of what ought intrinsically to be the easier problem of Reparations. A scheme has been put forward, more or less tentatively, in certain quarters, for the solution of this problem of "security. Broadly, it consists of the demilitarisation of a broad zone along the Rhine, under the guarantee of the League of Nations. These suggestions are being discussed with intense interest in the press both of Paris and Berlin. The scheme, not as it has been put forward, but as it is being discussed, may be somewhat roughly summarised as follows: (a) The Rhineland and a wide zfina on the right bank of the Rhine, say, oO kilometres, deep, would be permanently demilitarised. (b) Such demilitarisation would eventually, and, it is to be hoped, (It no , very distant date, take the place of the whole system of purely Allied control, occupation and demilitarisation under the Versailles Treaty. v (c) The change from one regime to the other, involving as it would the Allied evacuation of the Rhineland and the abolition of the Rhineland inter-Allied Commission, would be dependent upon a tangible, palpable proof of Germany s sincere intention to “pay”—that is, to meet her just obligations in the- matter of reparations. ■ i i