Second Agreement

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 209, 20 September 1937, Page 5

Second Agreement

(British Official Wireless.)

COMBATING PIRACY Authority to Attack Surface Ships and Planes ITALIAN VIEW3 INV1TED

(Eeceived 20, 10.40 a.m.) EUGBY, Sept. 18. The Italian Government having received a copy of the agreement on the suppleinentary Nyon arrangement, which was signcd yesterday, its terms were publishod at Geneva to-day. The Italian Government was informed that its practical observations on the second agreement, as on the first, would be given the closest attention by the Nyon Powers. The new agreement applies to attack by surface vessels and aircraft upon any merchant ship in the Mediterranean not belonging to the parties to the Spanish conflict when such attack is accompanied by violation of the humanitarian principles embodied in the rules of international law relating to warfare at sea. Any surface war vessel which witnesses such an attack when engaged in carrying out the Nyon arrangement is anthorised, if the attack is by aircrafts to open fire; or, if the attack is coifl.mitted by a surface vessel, to intervenq witbin the limits of its powers and, if necessary, summon assistance. In territorial waters each of the partieipating Powers concerned will give instructions as to the measures to be taken by its own war vessels in the spirit of the present agreement. It is understood that the recommendations contained in the recent report on the work of the Non-Intervention Board inelude a proposal to end the patrol. The board was satisfied that the patrol was not efEective as ancillary to the sea observation scheme, while it vyas costly and involved many objections and risks. It is expeeted that the battleship Eesolution and two destroyers will keep to their present station off north-west Spain. , 1 It is understood that there will be 38 British destroyers and five flotillaleaders available for the carrying-out of the duti.es imposed by the Nyon agreement. A eommunique at Eome announces that when the British and French Charge d'Affaires submitted to_ Gount Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, the supplementary Nyon agreements they asked for a further explanation of the Italian Note of September 14 rejecting the offer to participate in the anti-piraey patrol, as it had produced contradictory interpretations regarding whether Italy would collaborate in the Mediterranean patrol. Count Ciano subsequently explained that Italy, in advancing the question of parity rights,. intended to establish the claim that the Italian fleet must have a position equal to those of the British and French fleets if it were to participate in the naval measures. He added that Germany had been informed of the contents of the eommunique.