ITALY & ETHIOPIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 May 1938, Page 7

ITALY & ETHIOPIA

ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT stated BY PRIME MINISTER FULL FREEDOM OF ACTION CLAIMED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 2. In the latter part of the speech (reported yesterday) in which he dealt with the Anglo-Italian Agreement, the British Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain) said on the subject of the recognition of the Italian conquest of Ethiopia:—“l would like to remind the House that other States, members of the League, whose loyalty to the League cannot be questioned, have taken a different view of this matter from that held by Britain. They have taken the view that the collective obligations in this matter were discharged on July 4, 1936, when the Assembly adopted a resolution abolishing sanctions, and their view was, therefore, that States members were consequently free to take whatever action seemed good to them in the light of their situation and what they considered to be their obligations.

“That is a perfectly comprehensible view, and a nnumber of powerful and convincing arguments can be brought in support of it. Britain does not desire to criticise any States that have taken that view, but so far as Britain is concerned it, in common with many others, has held that this is not a question which concerns Britain alone, but one which requires consideration by the appropriate organ of the League.

CONFUSED POSITION “The result of this difference of opinion is that some of those who took part in collective action have already recognised the Italian position in Ethiopia, while others have taken action which implies or seems to imply recognition, and others again have taken no action at all. It is a confused and anomalous position —a situation which requires clearing. Britain has taken the first step toward clarification by asking the SecretaryGeneral of the League, M. Avenol, to place an item dealing with this question on the agenda for the forthcoming council. “This action does not mean that we condone or approve the method by which Italy obtained control of Abyssinia. It does not mean that we are going to ask the League to modify any resolution or decision it took during the period of conflict. The League expressed its judgment on the whole affair in the plainest possible terms. There will be no going back on that. We do not intend to ask any other State to take any action which they might deem incompatible with their obligations. Neither the action we have taken nor any action we ask the council to take in itself constitutes recognition. The act of recognition remains within the sovereign rights of each individual State. “A SPANISH SETTLEMENT” “In other words, so far as this country is concerned, the time and circumstances of recognition remain in our own discretion. I have always maintained that the only circumstance in which recognition could morally be justified would be if it was shown to be an essential feature of general appeasement. That is the position of the Government today. We could not feel we were taking an essential step to general appeasement unless at the same time we could see a Spanish settlement within reach. That is the reason why we made a Spanish settlement a prerequisite of this instrument.”

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr C. R. Attlee, intervened to ask Mr Chamberlain what he meant by a Spanish settlement.

Mr Chamberlain replied: “I would prefer not to give a definition. Later on we shall get nearer the time when we can. I think we should be wrong in attempting at this stage to define the circumstances under which we should say a settlement has been arrived at.”

When Mr Attlee further pressed the Prime Minister on the question the latter retorted: “I leave mystelf to the judgment of the House. I cannot tell the House when this protocol and the annexes will come into force. But no doubt the situation will clear itself up as time goes on.” The Labour Party tabled a motion declaring that Opposition approval could not be given to “an agreement made with a State which is actively engaged in wanton aggression in Spain.” As reported yesterday the AngloItalian Agreement was approved by the House of Commons by 31G votes to 108.