THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, May 28, 1937. THE LEAGUE AND ITALY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23202, 28 May 1937, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, May 28, 1937. THE LEAGUE AND ITALY

The advice of the Prime Minister of Australia to other dominion representatives at the Imperial Conference to " discard any isolationist inclinations" seems to have been timely. The deadlock on the question of recognition of the Italian conquest in Abyssinia provides a case in point. The British Foreign Minister, Mr Eden, had been anxious to secure a common Empire front on that question before his departure for Geneva, it being feared that continued recognition of the validity of Abyssinia's status as a member-State would lead to the complete withdrawal of Italy from the League. Quite plainly the attitude of the British Government, as conveyed during the Conference discussions, is that recognition of Italian Abyssinia, distasteful though it must be in the light of the events that led up to the conquest, is now to be regarded as essential to European appeasement and as preliminary to the reopening of the wider question of League reform. Acceptance of that view seems to be the logical consequence of a dispassionate examination of the facts. Heedless of protests or of other efforts to thwart her purpose, Italy has gone her declared way in Abyssinia. Lord Cranborne. one of the Under-secre-taries for Foreign Affairs, told the House of Commons a few days ago that Italian occupation of the territory was now complete, with the exception of two comparatively small areas. In these circumstances, when the impossibility of undoing what has been done is confessed — as it must be, regardless of opinions as to the weakness or otherwise of the British Government's policy relative to sanctions —the realistic view surely is that it is futile to delay a step which will ultimately be inevitable.

The British and French Governments are reported to be in accord with reference to the necessity of granting the recognition that is sought by Italy. The considerations affecting them may be those of expediency, but they are certainly of vital importance. For, while it may be argued that the choice between recognition and non-recog-nition is a choice between two evils, the outstanding fact is that a choice has to be made. Recognition may appear to condone what was formerly condemned as an indefensible act of international aggression, but the purpose behind advocacy of recognition, which is to make possible an Improvement in the general situation in Europe, would seem at the same time to present acceptance of Italy's new status in Africa as the less of the two evils. The restoration of European accord, to as great an extent as may be practicable, has become the major concern of British statesmanship, but there can be little hope of progress in that direction while Anglo-Italian relations remain as they are. Mr Savage and General Hertzog, and to a smaller extent Mr Mackenzie King, appear to have been critical of British foreign policy, particularly as it has affected the prospects of League reform. But detachment does not necessarily ensure that events are seen in truer perspective. British Ministers are in a better position than any dominion statesmen can be to appreciate the complexity of the European tangle, and their advice as to the best way to set about unravelling it might reasonably be thought worthy of adoption.