WAR IN SPAIN

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9204, 2 April 1938, Page 3

WAR IN SPAIN

NON-INTERVENTION COMMITTEE THE BRITISH PLAN LIMITED BELLIGERENT RIGHTS (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, March 31. The Earl of Plymouth presided at a meeting of the sub-committee of the Non-intervention Committee to-day. Since the last meeting all the Great Powers had accepted, in principle, the British plan for granting limited belligerent rights to both sides in Spain when the process of withdrawing non-Spanish combatants had made satisfactory progress. Difficulties and delays had arisen in giving practical effect to this

agreement. Conditions of acceptance by the German and Italian Governments, including insistence that the French land frontier should be closed while a commission is engaged estimating the number of non-Spanish combatants on each side, were opposed by the French and Russian Governments, and the matter has for some weeks been the subject of private discussion. As a result, French agreement was secured to the proposal for temporarily closing of the frontier, but in Rome and Berlin the period suggested during which the frontier would be closed was considered too short to enable withdrawals to begin. It is at this point that the committee is addressing itself to the solution of differences and ending this deadlock.

Lord Plymouth, outlining the present position of the non-intervention scheme, referred to two chief difficulties remaining after acceptance, in principle, of the British formula. The first was the basic figure of the formula, and the second was the date for restoration of observation.