ROUMANIA AND THE WAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1433, 7 August 1915, Page 4

ROUMANIA AND THE WAR.

A statement of the position of Roumania in regard to the war is made by Count Gheddo Miyatovitch, late Servian Minister in Britain, in Land and Water. The Count resents the idea that Rou-> mania is sitting on the fence waiting to act on the side to which victory inclines. “Italy,” he says, “had only one Italia irredenta, but for the Roumanian people there exists two Roumaniae Irredentae, Transylvania, and the Tarnish Banat, under the crown of Hungary, and Bessarabia under the scepte of the Tsar, Until quite lately Roumanian statesmen were divided into two groups; one group held that the most urgent problem was the delivery of Bessarabia from Russian rule, while the other group thought it more urgent that Transylvania should be delivered from Hungary. ’ ’ The Count goes on to say that even if opinion had been unanimously on the side of the Transylvanian programme the necessary arrangements would not be simple. The eventual annexation of Transylvania. Bukoviua, and Banat by Roumania affects the interests of Russia, Bulgaria, and Servia, Russia, in negotiating with Roumania, has to consider the interests of the other two. “Negotiations are a difficult matter,” he observes, “and 1 am not at all surprised that they are not yet concluded. I must say, and that with sincere regret, that a certain responsibility rests on the Roumanian Government for the slow progress of the negotiations, owing to her claims having been excessive at the outset. These claims included not only Transylvania and Bukoviua, but with Banat was claimed the whole of the left shore of the Danube from the Tnnu-Seyerin up to a point opposite Belgrade, and this in utter disregard of the fact that a large part of Banat and the wide Danubian zone is Servian country, inhabited by Servians in overwhelming majority. Fortunately, there is now a fair prospect that the interests of Servia and Rouraania can be harmonised in that particular zone,” SUSPICION OF BULGARIA. But the greatest difficulty, the Count says, has been provided by the attitude of Bulgaria. Only Bulgarians can understand their attitude fully. They deny that they Jiave written compacts with Austria and Turkey binding them

to remain neutral, and they have declared that they will remain neutral even if Roumania attacks Hungary. But as they are at the same time complaining bitterly against the injustice done them by the Treaty of Bucharest, and vow to redress that injustice at the first opportunity, they are regarded distrustfully by all their neighbours —Roumanians, Greeks' and Servians alike. Roumania seems to be willing to buy security by the cession of some territory to Bulgaria, but wants not only a special treaty with her, but also a guarantee regarding her from the Entente Powers. Thus does the Count outline the difficulties which have to be overcome before Ronmania can join in the war on the side of the Allies. He points to the greatest of them, but declares his belief that they are not insuperable, “for Roumanian diplomacy is very able, and is assisted by Russian diplomacy, which is the ablest and most resourceful statecraft of the world. The sentiments of the Roumanian people,” he says, “have always been in full sympathy with the aspirations of France and Italy, and they have never been more in sympathy than now, when these two countries are fighting for the highest, ideals of humanity and for a permanent peace in Europe. Roumania,” he declares emphatically, “will undoubtedly join the Allies as soon as her diplomatic relations with Russia, Bulgaria, and Servia are completed, and we shall not have to wait very much longer for the successful conclusion of a full and reliable understanding between these four countries.”