PLANNED TREATY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20024, 24 August 1939, Page 7

PLANNED TREATY

MOSCOW VIEW

DEFENSIVE ALLIANCES

OTHERS STILL POSSIBLE

BERLIN INSISTENCE

PERM AN ENT A IMG NMENT

(Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Aug. 23, T. 40 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 22.

It is learned that the British Ambassador 'to Russia, Sir William, Seeds, was instructed to ask the Soviet Foreign Minister, M. Molotov, for a clear definition of the pact between the Soviet and Germany. A message states that Sir William Seeds conferred with M. Molotov this evening. M. Naggiar, the French Ambassador conferred with M. Molotov earlier. Authoritative in Moscow say that the pact will be a step to ensure peace. They insist that it is no way incompatible with a British, ■French, and Russian defensive alliance. All the Soviet newspapers publish without comment the news of the visit to Moscow of the German Foreign Minister, Herr von Ribbentrop, suVpßSiing the average citizen.. of the military missions conferred in the afternoon at Mosci9w but did not meet the Russians. Herr von Ribbentrop is taking a staff of 32 advisers. The Germans will be quartered in a house next door to that in which the British mission is staying. It is semi-officially stated in Berlin that the agreement beitween Germany and Russia represents a permanent European realignment and not a mere tactical manoeuvre. It is regarded as an event of immense historical importance, decisively affecting long-term German-Russian relations Italian Version of Terms It is reported in Rome that the Russian-German pact pledges abstention from attacking each other and secondly, in the event of one party being the victim of an attack by a third party, the other will remain neutral. Thirdly it provides that m the event of either committing an act of aggression, the other may denounce the agreement. Signor Gayda says that Poland will be isolated by the pact. It does not affect other agreements which Russia may make, but does exclude the possibility of Russia being dragged into operations against Germany. This affects not only Poland, but the East Mediterranean, where the policy of “encirclement” is especially intense. The diolomatic correspondent of the Evening Standard states, on the highest -authority, -Germany did not inform Italy of the proposed pact with Russia. Vatican: quarters greeted the pact as a “possible contribution to peace” and welcome it for that reason. A Vatican City message states that the Pooe is considering a> world broadcast for peace on September 6. A Riga message states that the newspapers of the Baltic States welcome the Russian-German pact as a notable peace factor. 1 A message from Oslo states -that M. Koht, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, stated that the question of the Powers mediating in an effort to. maintain peace would be discussed at the conference to-morrow.