FRENCH SECURITY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 7

FRENCH SECURITY

THE PYRENEES FRONTIER NO FORTIFICATIONS ON SPANISH SIDE ASSURANCES AT BURGOS [By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright] Received Feb. 7, 6.5 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 6. The Telegraph’s Paris correspondent rays it is reliably stated that M. Lean Berard, ex-Minister, who is semiofficially visiting Burgos, was given assurance by Senor Jordona lhat there were no fortifications on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees and none will be built. No air bases likely to threaten French security will remain in the vicinity of the Spanish frontier and no military or political concessions will be made tn any foreign power, either in Spain or in Spanish possessions.

ITALIAN ASSURANCE WREN CIVIL STRIFE ENDS [ British Official Wireless. ] Received Feb. 7, 6.5 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 6. The Spanish Government has left Catalonia and the military situation on this front is reported to be in the final stages of disintegration. Britain has been keeping in close touch with France with a view to concerting their influence wherever the opportunity may arise to secure an avoidance of purposeless ' bloodshed. The two Governments are in touch with Dr. Negrin and his colleagues on the one hand and the Burgos authorities on the other, and they will continue to urge humanitarian considerations, in the furtherance of which their good oitices will remain available. In view of these very rapid developments in Spain, attention is turning more and more to the situation whicn will arise when the civil strife conies 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 a most explicit undertaking was given at tiie 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 exchanged with the British Ambassador at Rome, the Italian oFreign Minister, Count Ciano ,put on record the assurances he had given in the course of the conversations leading up to the agreement. Having confirmed the Italian adhesion to tne 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 the remaining Italian volunteers will forthwith leave Spanish territory and all Italian war material will simultaneously be withdrawn. I wish thirdly, to repeat my previous assurance that the Italian Government have no territorial or political aims and seek no privileged economic position in or with regard to either metropolitan Spain, the Balearic Islands, any Spanish possessions oversea or Spanish zone in Morocco, and that they have no intention whatever of keeping any armed forces in any of the said territories.”