BELGIUM’S NEUTRALITY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 247, 18 October 1937, Page 6

BELGIUM’S NEUTRALITY

'T’HE neutrality of Belgium has been a factor in European politics ever since the country was established as a separate political entity. Too small to stand by itself it must depend either upon the mutual goodwill oE its neighbours to respect its sovereignty or, in the mutual distrust of those same neighbours, to resist the encroachment of any one of them at the expense of Belgium.

With or without guarantees of neutrality Belgium’s position is always the same, the void between contending or probably contending Powers. The recent unilateral declaration by Germany does not affect Belgium’s position any more than her declaration of neutrality. To-day she obligates herself to no Power but she declares that she will defend her frontiers from invasion and the use of the air above her country from the passing of military aircraft. Before 1914 there was in existence a multi-lateral pact signed to protect the neutrality of Belgium. Of the two the latter should be the more formidable document and should have been the more efficient in preserving the integrity of the country to which the pact referred. Unfortunately the experience which was suffered during the years 1914-1918 revealed how valuable as a means of defence was that “scrap of paper.’’ Germany scorns to be anxious to remake the treaty map of Europe and to scrap the Locarno Treaty, but there appears to be no real improvement in the European situation. The improvement cannot be achieved by the substitution of unilateral statements in place of multi-lateral undertakings, in fact that is a step backwards if anything, but in pursuing the paths of peace in all its aspects national and international.