PEACE PACT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1939, Page 5

PEACE PACT

PROGRESS OF DISCUSSION IN EUROPE LORD HALIFAX SETS OUT FOR GENEVA. CONVERSATIONS WITH FRENCH MINISTERS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 20. The Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax, left London today for Paris en route to Geneva. The British negoiations with the Soviet, in an endeavour to build up a peace front against aggression, will form the basis of his talks with French Ministers. The points of view of Britain and Russia are now; more fully appreciated, and it is common ground between them that further aggression must be prevented or resisted. Yesterday’s developments have assisted in further defining to each other the attitudes of the two Governments. The Soviet Ambassador in London, M Maisky, who will preside over the League Council meeting on Monday, left for Geneva today after having two interviews at the Foreign Office and attending the debate on Foreign Affairs in the House of Commons, At the morning meeting, according to commentators, M Maisky indicated that his Government saw no hope of agreement on the lines of the recent British proposals, and in the afternoon the Cabinet Foreign Policy Committee met and further considered the question in the light of M Maisky’s communication and in view of the approaching conversations in Paris and Geneva. Lord Halifax and Mr Chamberlain had a long talk after the meeting had concluded.

It is assumed that the French Premier, M Daladier, and the Foreign Minister, M Bonnet, in their talks in Paris with Lord Halifax, will again express the French desire, -which is fully shared in London and warmly supported by Turkey, for a speedy Anglo-So-viet agreement. This means of overcoming the difficulties are being frankly faced. The diplomatic correspondent of “The Times” says: “In practice Moscow wants the pact to be wider in scope and tighter in form than the system of assurances proposed by London. The Soviet view is that such a pact would warn off all aggression in Europe. “Moscow also wants assistance among the three Powers to be automatic in the case of attack on one of them, while London at first suggested that Soviet assistance should be given as and when required if Poland and Rumania were attacked. "Over the weekend,” adds “The Times,” “the British Government is to press forward again with determination and goodwill in its attempt to reach agreement. The position will be reviewed by the Cabinet on Lord Halifax’s return.”