All Powers Must Agree

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 410, 19 July 1928, Page 11

All Powers Must Agree

RHINELAND EVACUATION BRITAIN DECLINES TO LEAD British Official Wireless Heed. noon. RUGBY, Wednesday. Replying to a question regarding the view recently expressed by the German Chancellor, that in the present circumstances the occupied Rhineland should be evacuated before the time fixed iu the Versailles Treaty, Sir Austen Chamberlain, the Foreign Secretary, said the British Government sympathised with this view, but such an early evacuation could only be the result of arrangements between the occupying Powers on the one hand and the German Government on the other, and he thought the other Powers besides the occupying Powers needed to be consulted. The British Government was ready to give friendly consideration to any proposal which might be put forward with this object by the parties more immediately concerned. Asked if he could not take the initiative in the matter, the Foreign Secretary said he did not think he could usefully do so at the present time. As for withdrawing the troops, he added that the withdrawal of British troops alone would not solve the problem or assist in its solution.

Asked whether, in view of the recent statements by the Agent-General for reparation payments, and by the German Chancellor, any steps were being taken to prepare the way for a conference To discuss a final settlement, provided they safeguarded British rights and interests in conformity with the Government’s declared policy, he said that so far as he knew no concrete proposals of any kind had been formulated, and no action by the British Government was either advisable or possible.