REBUFF TO ITALY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19137, 5 October 1936, Page 10

REBUFF TO ITALY

; .."DOUBLE-SOMERSAULT" .LEAGUE AND ABYSSINIA '■s ',.. LONDON, Sept. 26. Commenting on Geneva's unexpected decision to admit Abyssinia to the presetit Assembly session instead of shelving the question, the Daily Express says: "It is a rebuff to Italy. 'Hie League has doublc-somemiilted. •'The Negus htta won, and the FrancoBritish move to bring the Italians to Geneva "has failed. Supporters of the [League are jubilant here, saying that ' die" League has saved its soul. It has dono so at tlio expense of one of its important:limbs—ltaly. "The abrupt 'change at the secret "meeting of the Credentials Committee was dictated by one person for two reasons. The one person was M. Litvinov, of Soviet Russia. The reasons were, first, that after a three days Fearch, no . proper legal grounds were found for excluding Abyssinia; and, second»- no representative of the nations was willing to propose in the hill light of,publicity that the victim of Kalian aggression 'should bo excluded. "Litirtnov, arguing that the legal position did not permit invalidating Abyssinia's credentials, wasi supported by the small nations, so- Mr. Anthony Eden took the view that the committee's decision tc refer the matter to The Hague was useless because under the League clause that Litvinov unearthed, Abyssinia must sit

while the matter was Vicing settled. "Italy's intransigeance also contributed. Mussolini's dramatic radio message cancelling his delegation when The Hague plan was revealed, showed Britain and France that nothing short- of complete submission would suit the Italian dictator."