WOULD STEAL A REPUBLIC

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17147, 24 September 1926, Page 10

WOULD STEAL A REPUBLIC

MUSSOLINI'S BIG BLUFF. AN ASTOUNDING STORY. : LONDON. September 9. } | Full ollieial details of the carefully | ■concealed story of Mussolini's attempt to i Albania us an Italian protectorate have now com 0 to light, j The olHeial documents show _ that i Count Aloise went to Ahmed Boy Zogu, I presiden t of the Albanian Republic, on June 27, an,l literally levelled a pistol at him. demanding his immediate corn {sent to the placing of Albania rmdor an i Italian protectorate on the ground that economically Albania was entirely dependent upon the Italian banks. The President immediately summoned his diplomatic corps and reported the demands to Count Aloisfl. These included the transfer of the representation of Albania in foreign I countries to Italian diplomatic control. | If the demand was conceded, Musso- | lini offered a large sum of money and also (o equip fully the Albanian army | in an attack upon Serbia. | If the demand was rejected, Aloise !threatened, Italy would occupy the ■seaport of Yalona. in the Adriatic Sea, land would demand other sanctions. | The Albanian President informed ’Count Aloise that the diplomats had rejected the ultimatum, and Aloise left in high dudgeon on a destroyer lying in the harbor of Durazzo. Tim Albanian Government lusbed troops to defend Valona, and suspended all Italian military instructors, j BRITAIN'S DEMANDS, j The foreign diplomats in Albania, in great excitement, telegraphed to their respeetiva Governments. The Serbian Minister of War at once sent advance mobilisation notices lo the Serbian Army. I The British ambassador at Rome visited M ussolitii and categorically demanded tin explanation. v Mussolini asserted that the Albanian | President was an absolute liar. Count 1 Aloise. he said, has presented no such , demand. The only thing Italy demanded was a pact providing I lint, neither Italy not Albania would commit an act of aggression against the other. Offriallv, this dosed the- incident, upon lnyli the Governments interested lo pt a dose-mouthed silence. It was most significant. ho\vc\in\ that Britisli •ci'iiisers, wliieli were ordered lo Albanian ports immediately after I be, incident, were afforded an enthusiastic, reception b\ tin- authorities and popula i I 'on. _ _ ! , Albania was piodakned an iiuiepen j dent njimtry on June. 3, 1917, and a, )mi\ isio 11 ; 1 1 (lu t \fi'iiuuinl \y«is m*l uj» ;ilj .l)nr;iz/.u. A 1 \ojml»li<* \\;ts later |»**«»* j rlaiined. with a constitution, a Purl is j mi'llt of tti) members, and a Senate <>! j Lb Tbe country's independence was; guaranteed by the Supreme Uoumil «>f j Hie Allies, and in 1920 Albania was ad- j nutted as a member nl the League of I Nations. Albania’s population is about | 1130,000, and an estimated area of 17,300 j square miles.