ITALIAN VIEW OF POSITION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 245, 28 July 1937, Page 5

ITALIAN VIEW OF POSITION.

MADRID MUST SOON FALL.

RECOGNITION OF FRANCO INEVITABLE.

LONDON, July 26

The Rome correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that General Franco’s preparations for the final attack on Madrid are considered more important than non-intervention. Official circles are confident that Madrid will soon fall, and that the French, and British Governments have to recognise General Franco as the head of Spain. Even those pessimistic regarding General Franco’s immediate victory have no doubt as to the ultimate outcome, and therefore argue that it would be madness to agree to the withdrawal of volunteers.

NO MATERIAL FROM BRITAIN.

CATEGORICAL DENIAL GIVEN,

LONDON, July 26.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr R. A. Eden) told the House of Commons that instructions Lad been sent to the at Hendaye to inform General Franco’s Government categorically that no war material had been exported under license from Britain to Spain, either directly or indirectly, since the civil war began. Mr Eden referred to the belief that guns of recent British manufacture had been captured from the Basques at Bilbao.—British. Official Wireless.

NON-INTERVENTION PROCEDURE.

QUESTIONS TO THE POWERS. LONDON, July 26. To overcome the deadlock over the procedure in the Non-Intervention Committee, the British Government has prepared a document containing seven questions for transmission to the other 26 Governments ,represented on the committee.

If general approval of the plan is forthcoming, the, British Government will have authority to put the scheme to the two pai'ties in Spain. Seven questions require the Governments to state plainly whether or not ‘they agree to the relevant parts and action which it details. —British Official Wireless.

To save time the document was circulated on Saturday night for the information of the 26 representatives on the committee. If' and when general approval of the plan is forthcoming, the British Government will have authority to put the scheme to the two parties in Spain. The seven questions require the Governments to state plainly whether or not they agree to the relevant parts

and the action which it entails. It is again emphasised that the plan stands or falls in its entirety. There is certainly no weakening in the British view that tbei recognition of belligerent rights in the form visualised in the plan could not become effective until the Non-Intervention Committee had reached the conclusion that the arrangement for withdrawing foreign nationals was working satisfactorily and had made substantial progress.

Answering a question in the House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden) said that the further attitude of the British Government would naturally be dependent on .the nature of the replies to the questions communicated to the other Governments. He hoped that the replies would be available by Thursday night.

FACILITATING PROPOSALS.

It is understood that the chairman s sub-committee of the International Non-Intervention Committee unanimously agreed, in order to facilitate progress with the proposals drawn up by the British Government, to submit to the governments which are parties to the non-intervention agreement, a British White Paper setting out these proposals. This will l>c accompanied by a courtesy Note asking each government to state its .view on the points in the British proposals. It is hoped that the chairman (the Earl of Plymouth) will be in a position to summon the next meeting of the sub-committee on Friday.