Peace Proposals

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 21, 19 December 1916, Page 5

Peace Proposals

GERMANY’S TERMS. NO NATION CAN TRUST HER. Press Association. -Copyright, Austrolian and N.Z. Cable Association. London, December 18. The German peaca* note 'has reached the American Embassy in London. The Berlin Frankfurter Zoitmig, in a series- of articles upon the peace proposals; - apparently representing the view of Government quarters, explains at great length that the step taken by Germany is not a manoeuvre, hut a serious attempt to end the war. If the parties enter the negotiations with a view to reaching a voluntary agreement they ought to he satisfied with what they consider to be absolutely necessary to their national existence. Big apparent differences will be of less import if the parties in verbal conversations went deeper into each other’s claims. An agreement concerning the limitation of armaments might be reached, and a modus vivendi found for fixing the relative strengths of the German and British fleets. >

The Daily Chronicle’s Amsterdam correspondent understands that the German terms include the division of Belgium . into parts, Flemish and Walloons', each separate civil organisation to liehmilcd under one sovereign. Tlie recent establishment oi a Flemish university at Ghent foreshadowed this decision.

Other terms are designed to inflict the largest losses on Russia.

SOCIALIST OPINION OF THE PEACE PROPOSALS.

Press Association —Copyright, Re uter ’ s Telegrams (Received 11.40 a.m.) Paris, December 18

The Socialist Federation of Heine passed a resolution that it w.us the duty of the Government and the Allies, while vigorously pursuing the, war, to accept the negotiations m order to learn the Germans’ comli-j tious of peace, and that if unaccept-1 able they should denounce them pub-, licly, indicating counter-proposals, and the objects of the war. i The Federation adopted by 10,000 votes to 400 a motion contemplating the resumption of international Socialist relations between belligerents in Neutral countries, especially negotiations for peace, conditionally on the Central Powers definite proposals. A CONFESSION OF WEAKNESS. Press Association —Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 11.0 a.m.) Rome, December 18. Signor Murati, Leader of the Socialists in the Chamber of Deputies, declared that the peace note is a confession of weakness, which probably the American bankers had inspired by threatening to seize the German vessels in American ports if submar amig is continued. The critical condition! in Germany demanded the cessation of the war.