END OF THE WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1939, Page 5

END OF THE WAR

BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS CLOSE TOUCH KEPT WITH FRANCE WITHDRAWAL OF ITALIANS. CIANO REPEATS PLEDGE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, February 6. The Spanish Government has left Catalonia and the military situation on this front is reported to be in the final stages of disintegration. The British' Government have been keeping in close touch with the French Government with a view to concerting their influence wherever an opportunity may arise to secure the avoidance of purposeless bloodshed. The two Governments are in touch with Dr Negrin, Republican Premier, and his colleagues on the one hand, and with the Burgos authorities on the other, and they will continue to urge humanitarian considerations, in the furtherance of which their good offices will remain available. In view of these very rapid developments in Spain, attention is turning more and more to the situation which will arise if and when the civil war comes to an end. The position regarding foreign intervention is governed by assurances which Britain has received from both Italy and Germany. As far as Italy is concerned, the most explicit undertaking was given at the time of the Rome agreement and this was renewed to the British Ministers when they visited Rome a few weeks ago. In a Note dated April 16, handed to the British Ambassador in Rome, Lord Perth, the Italian Foreign Secretary, Count Ciano, put on record the assurances he had given in the course of conversations leading up to the agreement.

Having confirmed Italy's adhesion to the British plan for the evacuation of volunteers of foreign nationality from Spain, the Note added: "I desire, secondly, to reaffirm that, if this evacuation has not been completed at the moment of the ’termination of the Spanish civil war, all remaining Italian volunteers will forthwith leave Spanish territory and all Italian war material will simultaneously be withdrawn. “I wish, thirdly, to repeat my previous assurances that the Italian Government have no territorial or political aims and seek no privileged economic position in, or with regard to. either Mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, any Spanish possessions overseas or the Spanish zone of Morocco, and that they have no intention whatever of keeping any armed forces in any of the said territories,”

PREPARING FOR WAR SPEECH BY MUSSOLINI. OLD CONVENTIONS SUPERSEDED. ROME, February 7. Signor Mussolini presided at the Supreme Defence Council meeting today. A communique says that he stressed the vital importance of problems connected with the military and civilian mobilisation of the nation. Presiding at a later meeting of the committee for the revision of the military code. Signor Mussolini said: “While preparing the nation for war, as we are doing in all sectors, we cannot forget that international conventions connected with the rights of war and the old instructions to warlike forces have been superseded since the birth of the aeroplane.” BARBARITY IN SPAIN CONDEMNED BY AUSTRALIAN COMMITTEE. MELBOURNE. February 7. The Spanish Relief Committee has sent a cablegram to General Franco condemning the ruthless bombardment of refugees in Spain, and calling on people throughout the world to refuse all trade relations with General Franco.” The Prime Minister, Mr Lyons, when informed about the cablegram declared that the policy of the Commonwealth Government was non-interference and strict neutrality in the Spanish dispute.