RUSSIAN PEACE TERMS

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160726, 12 August 1920, Page 3

RUSSIAN PEACE TERMS

ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMONS. LONDON, August 11. Mr Lloyd George, replying to Mr Asquith in the House of .Commons, said ho had just received from Kamenefli the terms of the armistice peace preliminaries which would be submitted at Minsk by the Hussians, although Kemenefl.' added that these terms might be supplemented, but the details of secondary moment. Following were the terms;

Firstly: The strength of the Polish auries must be reduced to one annual contingent up to 50,000 men, and the commands and administration of the army to aggregate 30,(100 men. Secondly. Demobilisation to take place within one month. Thirdly; All arms over*such as may be required for the needs of the reduced army, as well as for chjic militia, shall be handed over to Soviet Russia. Fourthly: All war industries to ho demobilised. Fifthly: No troops or war materials shall be allowed to come from abroad. Sixthly; Facilities to be placed at the disposal of Russia for commercial transit to 5 and from the Baltic. Seventhly: Frei land to be granted to the dependents of Polish soldiers killed in the war. On the other hand, parallel with demobilisation, Russian and Ukrainian troops shall be withdrawn from the Polish front. Upon the determination of these operations the number of Russian troops on the Russian frontier line shall be considerably reduced and fixed at a figure to be agreed upon. The armistice line shall be the status quo, but net further east than the one indicated in Lord Curzori’s Note of July 20. The Polish army shall withdraw to a distance of 50 versts from that line, the zone between being neutral. Finally, the frontier of the independent State of Poland shall in the main be identical with the line Indicated in Lord Cnrzon’s Note of July 20th, but additional territo/y shall be given to Poland on the east. The final frontier of independent Poland to be mainly in accordance with,' the British Note of July 20th, with the addition of the territory of Bielestoa and Kholm. Russia demands commercial use of the Polish line of communication to the Baltic. Russia agrees to considerably reduce the number of Russian troops on the frontier. Mr Lloyd George said that immediately on receipt of this telegram, after consultation with his colleagues, be had communicated the terms to Poland, France, and Italy. The Russian Government insisted <jn direct negotiations with the Polish 'Government. They were entitled to direct negotiations. Having taken that course, he was of opinion it would bo unfair whm delegates from both sides were ''meeting to express an opinion which might embarrass discussions. TERMS CONSIDERED SATISFACTORY. LONDON, August 33. Political circles are of opinion that the terms arc a satisfactory basis upon which the Poles may negotiate. Therefore, the House of Commons recess has not bemi postponed. The House will adjourn on Thursday. Polish circles indicate that the disarmament demand is imncssihle, because Poland would thus place*herself at the Bolsheviks’ mercy.