DISARMAMENT PROBLEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21988, 24 June 1933, Page 11

DISARMAMENT PROBLEM

FRANCO-GERMAN AGREEMENT r •' • ** ‘ ESSENTIAL TO PROGRESS (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) , (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, June 22. (Received June 23, at 5.5 p.m.) The Undcr-secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Captain R. A. Eden), speaking at Peterborough, expressed the view that the problems of the Disarmament Conference were Just those that had baffled post-war Europe and had played a significant part iu every phase of history—the relations of the Powers of Western Europe. If, for Instance, an agreement could be reached between France and Germany on the basis of the British Draft Convention upon which the conference was now at work the other difficulties would, no doubt, adjust themselves around the nucleus of this common accord. Without such an agreement no real progress was possible. It was the task of British statesmanhip to do all in its power to make such an agreement possible. A pacified Europe was the British objective, he stated, and for this Britain voluntarily undertook the very serious obligation that resulted from the Locarno Treaty. It was, no doubt, the same motive that prompted Signor Mussolini to make the recent proposals for the Four-Power Pact, an act of statesmanship for which Europe had every reason to be grateful. If they re-enter a period of' European cooperation progress would become possible in all the problems of international relations which to-day baffled statesmanship.