Good Progress Made

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 29, 28 October 1937, Page 5

Good Progress Made

SPANISH FORMULA

SovietTWay Hold Out ua Gfllt of Belligereflft Rights

TERMS TO BE DRAFTED

(British Offieial WireleBS.) (Received 28, 8.45 S.m.) EUGBY, Oct. 26* Substautial progress toWards stgcdid aetion to make non-iiiterventiofi ii Spain effective r esulted from a ffve-hdtir session of the International Sub-COfli* mittee to-day* Mr Anthony EdCn pfi# sided* Consideratiofi Was xesumed of th* . draft resolution in the light of thi comments of the Governments to whieh the text was submitted* At the end of the dis^ussion all the membera Wiri agreed on the terms of thp resolutlofi with the exeeption of the RxiseiMI member, who was unable to concur witll the patagraphs dealing witli ihe grftnfr* ing of belligefent rights* In theSO Mf* cumstances* the snb-eomfaitte# is agaii submltting the ameiided tSxt, on Whieftt all bnt ttnanimous agfeement his been reached, to the various GovernmeatSi whose final ObSCrvations Wxll, it it hoped, be received befOfS the meeting on Friday. The shb-committee instructed ihe chairman and the aeeretary in ihe - meantime to make a start on the dr*ft ing of the terms of reference for ihe tWo commissions tO be dispatched ' ioi Spain to estabiish the numbers of nbnSpanish nationals participating on either side in the eivii war and tn prepare a list of the perseflsei of ihe commissions for snbmiSSioii to ihl committee. It is understood that the sub-com-mittee has dropped the prdposal for the token withdrawal of volunteers. The chairman suggested, in the conrte of the ^iscussion, that the committee was not clearly at grips with the maia proposal for full-sized withdrawal* lt would be a pity to be diverted by a minor question* on the details of which agreement Was not assnred* and members, after Some discussion, concurfed*

Numbers of Voluntderi.

Other principal Seveiopmeiiti lO-day were the clarification Of ihe lialian attitude to the Status of the eommlission's fepor'ts on the Humhers ibf yOlxitt-' teers, and some modificatiOn Of A teii3 tative character by the Russian repfl* sentative pf his attitude to ihe qaeition in relatipn to the time Of ihe granting of belligerent rights and ihe Withdfawal Of volunteers. Count Gfandi (Italy) said that if ihe commission Were constituted in eudh ■ a way, and the terms of referenee were such as ensured cpnfidefiee, then the figures on the basis of which ihe portions of withdrawal from either side would be detefmined eeuld be accepted* and it can now therefore be stated that the suh-committee is unanimpusly agreed that ihe figiires Cstablished by the commission shall be accepted as final and binding. M. Maisky (Russia) was quCstioned closely by Mr Edon on his xeiteratidn of the Russian refusal to grant bellL gerent rights at any point in adVance of the compietion of the withdrawal of volunteers* and* in the CoufSe Of thi exchange, M* Maisky did, it is vnder* stood* express the viow that whea th# bulk of the volunteers had been withdrawn and it kai been seen that there were no new arrivals, and the intentien of aU Governments net tP settd ieina fercements was beyond donbt* then Ihe Russian Govemment might perhape eonsent to grant belligerent rights, It will be recalled that the fititisli plan on which the. committee is noW working provided for the granting of , belligerent rxghts when Substantiftl progress had been made with the with* drawal of volunteers.

Italy's Helpfulness.

The helpful attitude of the represen* tatives, especially perhaps of the Italian Ambassador, who has bee^ moSt conciliatory* is favourably commented on in British circles. The hope is entertained that on FrL day the approval of all the partieipdt* ing Governments will be given to the draft resolution* which x'emains substantially the same as when drafted last week. Then it WiU be possibli to push forward the t&sk of the applieation of the new plan. It is cOnsidex'ed unlikely that pre* ptti'ations for the appointment 6f commissions can be compieted in time ior the next meeting or before next week, but there is plenty of other work eonfronting the non-interventioa committee. According to a Press Associatioa cable, events are regarded in Rome as revealing Signor Mussolini's genuine anxiety for agreement, but all quarters distrust the Russian attitude of Studied obstruction. The Paris Press generally regards the atmosphere as encouraging* though the progress was disappointing, The radi* cals deduce that Britain is drawing eloser to France and Italy., The newspapers Figaro and Repub* lique foresee the early and complete isolation of Russia. L'Oeuvre predicts a major insurgent offensive at Almeria to forestall the commissions' findings on tho figures of foreign troops. Ofiicial circles are obviously disap* pointed that Russia has not made a greater effort to compromise.