HISTORIC DECISION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 228, 28 September 1935, Page 9

HISTORIC DECISION

LEAGUE COUNCIL UNANIMOUS ARTICLE 15 TO BE INVOKED FOR FIRST TIME WAY FOR CONCILIATION STILL REMAINS OPEN I L'y Telegraph—Frees Association —Copyright I GENEVA, Sept. 26. For the first time in its history, the Council of the League of Nations unanimously decided to invoke Article 15 of the Covenant. The President proposed the appointment of a committee of all the members of the Council except Italy, and suggested that the Council should not close its session, but remain ready for speedy action in the event of a grave development. The Council also decided that the Committee of Five should remain ready to renew conciliation efforts should an opportunity offer. The Associated Press Agency says that the Council’s decisions were taken in hushed silence. The public galleries were packed, and the diplomatic galleries were so full that many were unable to find seats, and stood crushed against the walls. The Italian delegates did not. attend the meeting, but consider that the continuance of the Committee of Five leaves the path for conciliation open. Effect of the Decision. “One of the greatest decisions in history,” was a delegates’s description of the Council’s action. This well summarises the general feeling in League circles. The Council, in order to avoid Italy taking umbrage, has hitherto avoided raising the question as to which article would govern its procedure. There can henceforward be no further evasion of this issue. The position is that for three months after the adoption of the report under paragraph 4 of Article 15 of the Committee of Thirteen stating the facts of the dispute and recommendations thereon, no member of the League may resort to war without incurring penalties under Article 16. This means, in effect, that Italy will become an outlaw nation if she resorts to war in Abyssinia before January. It will obviously be difficult to secure unanimity among the Committee of Thirteen, especially in view of the opinion of M. Litvinoff (Russia), M. Titulescu (Rumania), and Dr. Tewfik Aras (Turkey) that the plan offered to Abystinia transcended their view of what was due to the integrity of any State Member of the League. In view of the end of the rainy season in Abyssinia, the Committee will expedite its report, the completion of which is expected-within ten days.