FRANCE DEMANDED VALLEY OF SAAR AS PEACE CONDITION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14647, 3 July 1918, Page 8

FRANCE DEMANDED VALLEY OF SAAR AS PEACE CONDITION.

ALSO ALSACE-LORRAINE, INDEMNITIES, AND GUARANTEES ON 1 RHINE. LONDON, May 14. The Manchester Guardian's Paris correspondent says: "It, is now possible to give an account somewhat more m detail of the demands Jnade by President Ppincare ,m first letter of Emperor Charles. ' President Poincare made these demands m the coursed -.0f .• a. conversation with Prince Sixtus of Bour-' bon, and there is no fetter to the Prince from Poinoare m the,, dossier. "A letter from Poincare, m which the demands are mentioned, is addressed to Ribot and gives him an account of the conversation. ,'I have not seen a copy of the letter but, can say -with- per-,, feet confidence that the following, although, not perhaps an; exact translation of the text, is an almost literally accurate rendering of the passage m ques/ tion and an absolutely accurate statement of the demands. .Prince Sixtus is, commissioned! to tell the Emperor m regard! to the latter's declaration about Alsace-Lorraine .that it is, not. a question for us of the Alsace-Lorraine of 1871. What France asks for is the AlsaceLorraine of; 1814 and 1790, with the Valley of the Saar; restitutions; repara-; iipiis, and indemnities and guarantees on the left bank of the Rhine. (The surrender of /the y alley of jhe SaaV, which flows 'from' th 6 Vosges into the Rhine thrqughf Rhenish Prussia, would 1 ■; give !Fran<ievaf^6iitier about 1 35 miles beyond; jVletz);' th.e-.accur&cy. of ' the terms' of the /demands" as just 'given -and am sure it will not .be coptes'ted. .1 have obtained' from a thorougibiyi trustworthy v sOjUroe , the f ollowing^additional information m 'regard- to' the -negotiations of last year. Sixtus hot only made it a> condition- of the communication of Emperor Charles's letter tp Poincare that , the latter should / give his word of honor not to show.it to anybody but'Kibot, and oiever make -public , the fact of the Emperor's .overtures, but also insisted on the extreme importance Qf.. secrecy,' Any re-yelatiofy „he.,,s ¥ aid, might . put the Empe^orf^ Jif p m'.dainger , would , certainly. Aijstfd^. moiq ever;linde,r the ds>mjn^bfi of..o4rmaiiyIt would!,,be di^aflt^ou^both. |to T^he ( Empero.^,and to. hjs;c^un!bry.,, r A|tei7,tiie .interview: with Poii^carey/Sixjb.us^.paiid two visits to.Engla.nd, .tdpyU (*eorge..pib once recognised the importance of the Austrian proposals and advocated favorable consideration of them. IKs;- view.^of tlje matter, which was the opposite of Poincare's, ledi , to a,^conflict "of -be- \ tween them. The- dossier shows that Lloyd, George advised a coursV -which does credit to hip diplomatic^ ability and political inslglit. ■ .{I am quoting the opinion expressed! to me by an authorised person.) It^wduld, f he* said insubMance, be a " mistake to let Austria .and .fltaly discuss- temtorial questions, that, must "'be avoided; for it '■ would . inevitably result m the negotiations'-: coming;-. to .f-riothing. The important -thing cijt?as,, to .bout :p.?rmany if she should -prove uncompromising. • IJf .that,. e,ndl could' b^^secured by means of which seemed to. present themselves,, terr^tprial.^ue^tions cou)d easily bei settle<jl ifil^erwards. 1 -,,. l ' * • , '^jifbrtujpat^ly, ,hpwever— l ani still quoting. {the -.person ■ mentipned-r when^, GeorgeV ca^e ( tpi., i^aris ? hi8 f resolu- 1 . tiou,'seeinsr,,to v h^ye '$pki\ W^ak^peb^' and ' he allowed to W induenced by Poiricar©. and 'Ribot. Ujtimately, wheiii .Sjpnnino offeredl. uncompromising opposi-^f tipn,',) to ,a)\ . .agreement Vith Austria,'! <Geprge , apquiesccd , with. (;reluctan<:e; ;aa^; Ribot adrru'tj^ed, ,. lv's , s^atfeinidnt' to th^; Foreign .(Affairs Committed, r^he distjugf;. sion at St.. , Jean ds>- Maurie.nne, - April 19, 1917, took place, m. a'ather'anifortunT vte circMmstahces, since of -the three >nimi vvhp discussed the Emperor's, letter only two hadj seen it, arid I the third, Sonnino, iid aiot even knonv ofjjts al^ though he was of course , ..inloroied of. the maturer nature- *>f .the progosalfli.thqtjyhad beeii made. --As I liay.a statcid m, ay previous despatch, Baron SonniflQ sa;W;> r t,he letter puly. in. July ,1917,. After his two vj^jts,. to, 'England, Sixtus returned 'to >^|tzeitlahd .i.rt order ;to. transmit to Emperpr Chaa'lesVth© result : of his . conversations. ■Although the views of /the French Tind English representatives were not entirely m acepvd,': Sixtus, wouldf seem to have cqnsidered tlie favorable reception given to the overtures m England as justifying. - liim m .making ap , optimistic report: on tlie v. e ? u H pfhts mission, "^he dpssier contains ,a . second, , letter from Emperor Charles, m which he^iexpresses his ploasxire that thei,'©. is substantial agreement between himself and the French 'and' English ' Govevninentg. He repeats the conv-ictioH that, .provided' the Allies will agtfee tq, reasonable terms, he will succeed! m inducing.; Germauy.vto "accept them, but • says* • that m, the , other event he, ait. any rate,, wi11.. d0... so s and there- is nq;<doubt he-will.be followed' by the 1 whpl»i ; Valley> l of..:th_eupajiube^ ii- The tetteri 5 1 ; liriderst'and'; mikeajiti.clear that the l'eaionable-iterms^ iv.- : the ,Eauperi)r*B opinion, mu'stv no t include any iterj-ito^-ial demand oiv the'- part:*i6f, France- bfeypnd Alsace-Lorraine a^-- annexed)" ih> -183:1 i"