EUROPE'S PEACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19070, 18 July 1936, Page 6

EUROPE'S PEACE

PRESERVATION AIM LOCARNO TREATY POWERS THREE TO CON FEU. HOPE FOR PULL ASSEMBLY (P<?r Press Association.) Reed. IA.~, p.m. RUGBY, July 17. The meeting in London of the Locarno Treaty Powers, Britain, France and Belgium, lias been fixed for .Inly L\l. The decision as to whether the meeting will 'be attended only by Britain, France, and Belgium is understood to be dependent, oh the conversations between the capitals of these three countries following suggestions made by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, to the French and Belgian Ambassadors yesterday. He is reported to have stated that the British Government would agree, hut such a meeting must he 'related to the broad aims of: the British policy which is directed towards the 'Wider objective of European settlement. A preliminary meeting of the three Powers would thus be part .of The German Scheme, and preparatory to a meeting of all five Locarno Powers. The objective could only be attained iby stages, but the British Government desired to avert a division of Europe into blocs and eounterbioc.s, such as preceded the events of 22 years ago, 'by taking the initiative towards a general settlement. The British Government: was not prepared to admit that the effort of conciliation contained in the London proposals of March 1,9 had failed. Britain meanwhile maintained that in accordance with the agreement of Jhnt date, lier obligations to France and Belgium under the Locarno Treaty were 'parallel. The obligation to join in staff talks against a "'ease of tin provoked aggression" had been faithfully executed, and the enforcement of the letter of reassurauce drafted at the same time would give these under- ( takings a definite instead of a provisional character, and incidentally would'make them reciprocal. They] would not, however, increase the amount of security enjoyed by Belgium i and France.