Sir Austen Tells of Easter in Italy

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 641, 18 April 1929, Page 9

Sir Austen Tells of Easter in Italy

TALK TO MUSSOLINI EXCHANGE OF VIEWS (Australian and N.Z. rrcss Association) Reed. 11.5 a.m. LONDON, Wed. A SKED in the House of Commons to give the substance of his conversations with Signor Mussolini at Florence, Sir Austen Chamberlain, Foreign Secretary, said that, “Having decided, for personal reasons, to spend Easter week at Florence, he asked his Majesty’s Ambassador to inform Signor Mussolini of his intention, and to say what a pleasure it would be to see him again if, as Sir Austen thought possible, be himself were to be in the neighbourhood.

“Signor Mussolini, who was spending a few days at Forli, was good enough to motor over to see me,” continued Sir Austen. “This was the fifth occasion on which we have met, including our first meeting at Rome in 1924, and I welcomed it as giving me another opportunity for such an exchange of views with him as X habitually have with other foreign Ministers at Geneva.

“No special importance is attached to the meeting, and no subjects were proposed for discussion at it, but as was natural we passed in review the general European situation as well as the relations between our two countries which are happily of the most cordial character.

“It will not he forgotten that Great Britain and Italy are guarantors of the Treaty of Locarno, and have thus a common interest in the maintenance of peace and the promotion of good relations among all signatories of that treaty.”