AID TO PEACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19622, 3 May 1938, Page 6

AID TO PEACE

TALKS IN ROME NEW A.MGLO-ITALIAIM PACT OPENING BETTER ERA RENEWAL OK ERIENDStTIP MR. CHAMBERLAIN'S HOPES (British Official Wireless.) Heed. 1.15 p.m. RUGBY, May 2. The House of Commons to-day debated the Anglo-Italian agreement on the motion proposed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, approving the results of the recent conversations ’at Rome. Mr. Chamberlain said lie had been encouraged by the agreement and the praise and congratulation it evoked to hope that the first step had been taken towards a healthier and saner state of things in Europe.

"I believe that for Italy and ourselves this agreement marks the beginning of a new era,’ said Mr. Chamberlain. “In former days we had a close friendship with the old Italy. To-day there is a new Italy—an Italy which, under the stimulus of the personality of Signor Mussolini, is showing a new vigour and in which there is apparent a new vision and a new efficiency in the administration and in the measures which they are taking to improve tile conditions of their people.

"With the laying aside of the temporary differences by this agreement, 1 believe we may look forward to friendship with the new Italy as -rrml.v based as that by which we were bound to the old.” Palestine Assurances An important part of Mr. Chamberlain's speech disclosed the fact that in (lie course of the Rome conversations, the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Ciano, gave the British Ambassador, the Earl of Perth, full assurance regarding Palestine.

After examining in detail the protocol and its annexe Mr. Chamberlain said that he thought the House would agree that they dealt in a very careful and comprehensive manner with possible sources of difficulty between Britain and Italy. “In ease anybody should think Palestine was purposely left out, I should like to mention that the subject was also discussed and as a result, Count Ciano has given the Earl of Perth oral assurances that Italy will abstain from creating difficulties or embarrassment for Britain in Palestine and Lord Perth has given similar assurances that Britain, for its part, intends to preserve and protect legitimate Italian interests in that country,” continued Mr. Chamberlain. “We ourselves are perfectly satisfied with the oral declaration which we received and I am sure that Italy also is perfectly satisfied with flic declaration we have given in return.” Tributes to Ministers The Prime Minister paid tributes to Lord Perth and Count Ciano on liie manner in which the negotiations were handled and to the Italian Ambassador to London, Count Grandi, for his contributions to removing misunderstandings. Mr. Chamberlain then described the place of the agreement in the general scheme of the Government’s foreign policy, the aim of which was to restore general confidence that peace could and would be maintained. Mr. Chamberlain said that without confidence no progress was possible in international affairs. They could only obtain that confidence if they succeeded in removing the grievances, differences and suspicion which, unchecked, might lead to war.

It was not a task which could be accomplished in a moment or all at once, but if they could eliminate the danger spots one by one, they might in time find themselves in a position to arrive at the goal. Removing Danger Spot Nobody could doubt that, before the signing of the agreement, the relations between Italy and Britain and Italy and France constituted one of those danger spots. His Majesty’s Government believed that the danger could be removed by the application of goodwill and commonsense to the problems which had arisen, very largely as they believed, out of want of trust and confidence, but to accomplish that it was necessary to face the facts, however unpalatable these facts might be and he thought that perhaps it was in the Government’s willingness to face realities and make the best of them that the difference lay between it and the Opposition.

The agreement was designed to cover comprehensively the whole ground ol the relations between Britain and Italy in certain areas of the world and it paved the way for future co-operation and understanding in those areas in which their interests were found to be oa rail el.

The signing of the agreement, Mr. Chamberlain declared amid Ministerial cheers, had already effected a radical change in the relations between the Italian and the British Governments. The clouds of mistrust and suspicion had been cleared away and the two nations could now regard one another with determination to promote mutual friendship, instead of with hostility. s , Spanish Situation The Prime Minister then turned to the question of the agreement coming into force. “The full effect cannot be given to this agreement until we can regard the Spanish situation as settled and find ourselves in a position to acknowledge the Italian conquest of Ethiopia,’’ lie continued.

“As to Spain; there have been .suspicions frequently expressed that Italy would refuse to withdraw her volunteers in accordance with the proposal, of the Non-Intervention Committee, and that she was desirous of obtaining for herself some permanent position in Spain and in some of the Spanish overseas possessions, and I, therefore, desire to call particular attention to Count Ciano’s letter in which he gave three specific assurances to the British Government.”

After reading the assurances to the House, Mr. Chamberlain said: “I wish to state that His Majesty’s Government accepts them as being given in good faith and believes that the Italian Government intends to keep them in the spirit as well as the letter.”

The Labour Party tabled a motion declaring that the approval of the Opposition could not be given to an “agreement ijmde with a State actively engaged in wanton aggression in Spain.”