Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1937. THE INTERVENTION DEADLOCK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 250, 3 August 1937, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1937. THE INTERVENTION DEADLOCK.

Concern is expressed in London newspapers at the effect of the failure of the Non-Intervention Committee to find a solution of the difficult problem with which it has to deal. So far from the position becoming better, after all the plans and revised plans that have been proposed and considered there has been no lightening of the cloud. Every new phase of the negotiations which Britain is pursuing, in spite of the lack of support by others, is met by either protest or complaint from the Powers concerned, and the differences between them have encouraged the contending parties in Spain to raise objections. The latest deadlock arose over the order in which two major points—the withdrawal of foreign nations from Spain and the conditional grant of belligerent rights to the two sides in Spain—should be discussed. To overcome this there was prepared a questionaire with the object of eliciting, if possible, a definite indication of the attitude of the various countries on the British scheme for restoration of the control of the frontiers of Spain, withdrawal of volunteers and conditional recognition of belligerent rights. Of the twenty-six countries approached, France is the only one of importance that has accepted the proposals unreservedly. The three other major Powers while signifying general acceptance add reservations. Germany and Italy will not agree to consider the granting of belligerent rights until volunteers are substantially withdrawn. Russia insists on the witdrawal of Moroccan troops and opposes at present the granting of belligerent rights. Britain’s view is that recognition of such rights in the form visualised in the plan cannot become effective until the Non-Intervention Committee has reached the conclusion that arrangements for the withdrawing of foreign nationals is working satisfactorily and has made substantial progress. If half the ingenuity displayed in adopting ruses for justifying holding aloof from any workable plan for non-inter-vention had been devoted to avoiding embroilment in the war, the hostilities would have ceased long ago, for there can be no doubt, notwithstanding assertions to the contrary, that the rival armies have been strengthened and enabled to continue in the field largely by assistance from outside. The only consolation to be derived from the deadlock at the meetings of the Committee is that it is better that suspicions of each other should be openly acknowledged than that beneath a show of agreement the proposals should be torpedoed. As the London newspapers say, the only hope of an early solution of the problem is that the present outstanding reservations represent bargaining positions which will be approximated as a result of further consideration by the respective governments. At the same time, while Mr Eden expresses the unwisdom of under-rating the desire of other nations to prevent a breakdown of the non-intervention plan it cannot be said that their attitude is likely to lead to the other extreme.