PEACE OF EUROPE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19503, 11 June 1925, Page 9

PEACE OF EUROPE

THE GUARANTEE PACT. KO BINDING BRITISH PLEDGE. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON. June 9 A careful review of the messages from the most reliable of the London corre spundents at Geneva and the comments of the diplomatic winters suggest that judgment should be withheld regarding the Geneva developments until the terms of the I renclr Note to Berlin have been published. It is considered unlikely that the Note will bo of such a nature that in G'o equallv unlikely event of Germany s immediate and unqualified acceptance, Britain, France, and Belgium would all bo fully committed to its terms. On the contrary, the Note is likely to result in prolonged negotiations, and obviously the final plan must be approved by the Parliaments concerned, as well as .by the dominions. The diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Telegraph emphasises that Britain has so far given no absolutely binding pledges, but she lias been content to make a tentative offer 1 , accompanied oy practical suggestions, subject to endorsement by the Empire as a whole. So far as the terms of the agreement between Mr Chamberlain and M. Briand are concerned, the Ministers jointly received the press representatives, but while stressing the hope for ■ a most favourable issue, they resolutely refused to discuss tho proposals, saying that it was not customary to discuss the contents of a Note until it had reached its destination. Meantime, the Daily Express states that the Rhine becomes a British frontier. This is a sensational historic change in British policy. The diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Herald calls the agreement “a. blood pact.” Other papers withhold their comment —A. and N.Z. Cable. OPINION IN FRANCE. AGREEMENT TAKEN FOR GRANTED. PARIS, June 9. Tire newspapers emphasise the importance of the agreement between M. Briand and, Mr Austen Chamberlain. The Petit Parisicn states that the proposed pact 'is superior to the preceding drafts inasmuch as it is no longer a question of Britain assisting France and Belgium, hut a firm determination by Britain to defend her own security on tho Rhine and the Scheldt. Tho Petit Journal foresees a similar Franco-Italian-Austrian pact guaranteeing tho frontiers of these countries. It says that Mr Chamberlain and M. Briand are working to obtain the adhesion of Italy to an Anglo Trench Entente. The Echo de Paris and Pertinax criticise tho proposed pilot, and declare that if such a system is confirmed it will he tho end of any independent and farseeing French policy.—Renter. FIRST GERMAN COMMENT. NO RIGHT OF WAY FOR FRANCE. LONDON, Juno 9. (Received June 10, at 8 p.m.) The first German comment upon the pact is: “If it is .true that Franco obtains any right to march through Germany a pact is impossible.’’—Sydney Sun Cable. CANADA AND THE PACT’. STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER. OTTAWA, June 9. Answering a question in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister (Mr Mackenzie King) stated that' Canada was not a party to any security pact in connection with the Rhine. —Reuter. BRITAIN’S OBLIGATIONS. NOT INCREASED BY PACT. I’BENCH MIS UNDERSTANDING S. LONDON, Juno 9. (Received June 10, at 5.5 p.m.) It is authoritatively announced that the London statements based on inspired information from French sources that Britain has entirely reversed her traditional policy of isolation and pledged her whole armed forces to war if the Rhine frontier is violated are an exaggeration. The negotiations have only just commenced with the sending of a Note to Germany, and tho suggested pact does not increase Britain's responsibilities. It is untrue that any violation by Germany of the territorial or military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles would be a causus belli for Britain, which reserves the right to make her own decision in such an eventuality. Tho fact that Franco has the right to cross the demilitarised zone of tho Rhino without seeking the sanction of the League of Nations if Poland or Czecho-Slovakia is attacked has caused the greatest difficulty in the discussions between Britain and France, and now that tho general terms for discussion with Germany arc announced French opinion is losing sight of the fact that tho pact will be a mutual one with Germany. That is to say, in tho event of a Franco-German clash there would be an obligation on tho British Government to assist Germany if France were judged to be the aggressor. Moreover, the British viewpoint is that the stipulations of the Covenant of the League of Nations must take precedence over all else.—A. and N.Z. Cable LABOUR OPPOSITION. AN ATTEMPT TO SUPERSEDE LEAGUE. LONDON, June 9. (Received Juno 10, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Ramsay MacDonald, interviewed by the Daily Herald, says that the whole of the Labour Party will oppose the agreement as the beginning not of a general understanding to maintain peace, hut because individual pacts and alliances created an organisation for war. He added that it was an attempt to supersede the tho League of Nations as a treaty-making medium.—A. and N.Z. Cable. NO DEFINITE PLEDGES. AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION. MISLEADING REPORTS CIRCULATED. STRONG PRESS CRITICISM. LONDON, June 10. (Received June 10, at 10 p.m.) It is officially denied in London that the Government is yet bound by any definite pledges. Mr Baldwin promises a full statement on Mr Chamberlain's return. In tho meantime he is consulting the dominions, whose support is uncertain. Tho political correspondent of I'ho Times says that when the pact Note which tlie French .Government is sending to Berlin is published it will be seen that Mr Chamberlain has made no concessions to France, which was unnecessary because M. Briand everywhere mot the British objections half way. What is now wanted is a, formal declaration that Germany is favourably disposed to the League. This is tho more necessary, since the Franco-British Governments are unanimous that entrance into the League is an essential condition, not only to tho pact, but to the whole settlement of Europe. The Daily Telegraph emphasises that no draft of the Security Pact exists. Its terms will require the closest consideration by all parties, and at present Britain is engaged in consultation with tho dominions. The proposed pact is not pre-

sonted in the right proportions when it is described as i i it were an agreement to enter into an alliance against Germany. The essence of the. proposal is the mutuality of the guarantee, and no British Government will be a party to any pact which does not assume the good faith of all the signatories. Until the terms arc disclosed it will be best to retrain from building np im edifice of hopes and assumptions where the foundation has yet to be laid. _ There is the strongest criticism in several papers regarding the statement circulated throughout the world on Holiday purporting to give the terms of the Geneva agreement. 'The Daily Express in an editorial says : ‘Tt is a bad beginning that the meeting of -Mr Chamberlain and M. Briand should be the occasion of a particularly flagrant case of misleading French semi-oflicial propaganda. This announcement seems to have been deliberately circulated to put the newspapers in Pans and London off the scent. No British Government which proposed to sign such a unilateral compact as the French statement suggests would exist for six months, but in any case it is deplorable that a communique of this kind, which misleads the press of two countries regarding the nature and extent of an agreement at which their Governments have arrived should be issued at all. It is quite clear that Mr Chamberlain had only authority to agree to a bi-lateral pact in which France and Germany have identical interests and responsibilities.” The Daily Chronicle's parliamentary' correspondent says; “The talk about, military alliances and Britain placing the whole of her navy, army and air force at Trance's disposal is not justified by anything that has yet been done or is contemplated.” The Central News Agency learned last night from authoritative circles that the .statements thus far issued regarding the agreement are ail exaggerations of the faets.—A. and N.Z. Cable.