Grave Situation if Talks Fail

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 20, 16 October 1937, Page 5

Grave Situation if Talks Fail

(Britieh Offioial Wireless.)

SPANISH PROBLEM Are Nations Prepared For Sincere Effort? NEXT WEEK WILL TELL

(Beceived 16, 12.45 p.m.) BUGBY, Oct. 15. Mr. Anthony Eden, British Foreign Ministex, when speaking at a Conservative PaTty rally at. Llandudno, said it was on Spain and the Far East, where undeclared wars were raging, that attention was hxed to-day. As to Spain, he said, events had proved that the right policy of nonintervention had been pursued; by Britain. He spoke with regret of the Italian refusal of the joint Anglo-French invitation to tripartite diseussions on the withdrawal of foreign volunteers from Spain, because, unless progress could be 5 made at once and rapidly, the situation mnst — citing the words of Mr. Chamberlain at Scarborough — cause increasing anxiety, Progress in the Non-Intervention Committee, in which Italy had suggested re-examination of the problem, was diffieult. "None the less," said Mr. Eden, ' ' Franco and ourselves did not wish a breakdown to come. If it does come it must be upon an issue which might be xepresented as one of procedure, and so we have agreed to reference of the discussion to the committee, which will meet to-morrow. ' ' This, pf course, does not rnean that , we are prepared to acquiesce in dilatory tacties. "The next few days," he added, " will sliow whether or not the nations are prepared to make sincere efforts to deal with the Spanish problem in a spirit of real international collaboration. If, however, the committee is now as unable to make progress as it was unable to make progress last July, then I fear that it is useless to coneeai from ourselves the gravity of the situation that will confront us. "One feature of the present situation is the proclaimed intervention — the giorification of breaches of the agreement. "