LOYALIST PEACE OVERTURES?

Southland Times, Issue 23736, 7 February 1939, Page 7

LOYALIST PEACE OVERTURES?

REPORT OF TERMS EMPHASIS ON INTEGRITY OF FUTURE SPAIN (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received February 6, 7.50 pjn.) LONDON, February 5. The Republican Government ia making peace overtures, says a special correspondent of The Daily Mail at Perpignan. The Prime Minister (Dr Juan Negrin) has charged his Foreign Minister (Senor Julio Alvarez del Vayo) with a mission conveying his terms to the British and French Governments. Reported meetings among the British Charge d’Affaires, the French Ambassador and Senor del Vayo are den’ed, but it is believed that Dr Negrin’s proposals embrace: (1) The immediate cessation of hostilities. (2) The signing of a treaty for the maintenance of the integrity of the Spanish State. The Daily Mail adds that the President of Spain (Senor Don Manuel Azana), before departing for France is reported to have urged the Government to surrender unconditionally. Other reports say that General Jose Miaja, Commander-in-Chief of the forces defending Madrid, is urging the

Government not to transfer the entire defences of the Madrid zone, as he will carry on there while the Government sues for peace by mediation. Eighteen hundred Republican militiamen deserted, crossed the French frontier and joined up with the rebels, says a message from Hendaye. The Rome correspondent of The Daily Mail says the withdrawal at short notice of the Non-Intervention Committee’s three British technical experts who have spent six months in Italy is interpreted as a breakdown of the talks on the withdrawal of Italian volunteers from Spain. The experts’ preparation of two base camps in Spain, capable of clearing 20,000 Italians, has gone by the board. CAMPAIGN ENDED The autonomous Catalonian Government has abandoned the struggle, and the Catalonian campaign is virtually ended, says the Perpignan correspondent of the British United Press. Senor Azana states that he is going to Paris to urge the British and French governments to alleviate the suffering of the loyalist soldiers and civilians. He added that an official statement would be issued shortly announcing the transfer of the Government from Figueras by air to Madrid, and his own departure to France. An official loyalist statement says that 300 persons were killed and 800 were wounded in continuous air raids on Saturday. The Spanish Foreign Minister (Senor Julio Alvarez del Vayo) said: “I have not lost hope. It was impossible, because of lack of arms, to carry on the resistance at Barcelona. We had whole regiments who could have vigorously counter-attacked the exhausted rebels, but we needed 100,000 rifles and 3000 machine-guns.”