GERMAN AND ITALIAN POLICY CLASH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 110, 15 January 1940, Page 4

GERMAN AND ITALIAN POLICY CLASH

PROBABLY at the present time developments in the Balkans are of more importance than operations on the Western Front, and those developments appear to be. definitely in Britain's favour. Not only are the threatened Balkan nations showing a more united front, but their growing unity is largely a product of the diplomacy of one of the partners of the Berlin-Rome axis, Italy. The latest news seems to indicate that the long collaboration betwen the Italians and Germans is dead—their policies are conflicting all along the line. Germany wants a disunited Balkan family, in order that she may play upon the many inter-Balkan rivalries to wreak her will in that peninsula; Italy wants the Balkans to remain out of the war, so that she may maintain her influence there and also supplant German influence and German trade. The lengths to which she is prepared to go are indicated in the latest agreement, the report of which, though not official, has every appearance of being authentic. The guaranteeing of Hungary against aggression by either Germany or Russia., with as a corollary an endeavour to settle the differences between Rumania and Hungary in connection with the Transylvanian minorities, should be sufficient to guarantee Balkan peace. By this agreement Italy's prestige in the Balkans must be greatly increased —but, significant fact, this increase is at the expense of Germany, from whom this move seems likely to divert Balkan trade bound to be grabbed by Hitler at his own terms should these countries be under his dictation. Though apparently Rumania's position is outside the Italian orbit, Italy knows full weli, as does also Rumania, that a threat to Rumania might well involve Italy in the defending of her Hungarian guarantees. Similarly, the guarantee is likely to keep Bulgaria quiet, or open the way to negotiations between that country and Rumania,. And most important of all« the agreement forestalls any march of German troops across Hungary to seize Rumania's goods and has stiffened Rumania's opposition to Russia. Thus while Germany is being revealed as Russia's ally, Italy is definitely pro-Finnish and anti-Russian, and so the interests of these two former allies clash once again.