New Britain herald., 1917-12-27
Central Powers Declare Re solve to Immediately Place
 Their Signatures to Peace Paper. ...-..
WILL NOT CONTINUE
 WAR FOR CONQUEST

Seized During the War Does Not En-
 ter Into the Intention of the Allied
 Poyers Germany Insists On the
 Return of its Colonies Seized By the
 Allies.
 - Petrograd, Deco. 26.-Count Czernin the Austro-H Hungarian foreign minis ter. at the session of the peace confer cnce at Brest-Litovsh Tuesday read statement to the effect that the Gen. stral Powers agreed to conclude inn E mediately q general peace without for cible annexations and indemnities. The Central Powers. he said, sol- emnly declare their resolve to imme- sdiately sign terms which will termin- ate the war on conditions equally just to all belligerents. They could not bind themselves to such terms without guarantee that Russia's allies would recognize them and carry them out honestly toward the Central Powers.
 Count Czernin declared the Central powers believed the basic principles uttered by the Russian delegates could MAbe the basis of such Q peace. He said they shared Russian condemnation of continuatio. of the war for the , sake of conquest " /aeI
 It is necessary. he added, to indicate most clearly. however. that the Rus-, sian proposals could be realized only ! In the event that all belliEerents obn- \ gated themselves to adhere to the terms of such ' peace.
 x Hc declared the Central powers did not intend to annex torcibly territor- les seized during the war, nor to. de- priNe natiOns or political independence lost in the var. NJ. N sa si..$@ <. K. ,s. x The question of the subjection of nAtl0n1a144on wlaos havo not political indepandenoe to another country can snotsbs sOiYe4 fantss1N tjpra1ly and must tb0 s1l1t ss44s Y ti1ere and its IT people n the manner established by tho constitution of that government. Tho protection of the right of ninori- sr tiSo h an essential part of the right of N peoples to self -definitin.
 x x s.y In the ayent of mutual refusal to meet war expenditures and pay dam ages caused by the war, Count Czern- in continued, each, belligerent shall bear only the expense of it's subjects made prisoner, and damages caused to property of civilian subjects by delib- crate violations of international law on the part of the adversary. The creation of a special fund for this pur- pose, as suggested by Russia. could be discussed only in the event that the other belligerents join in the peace ne- Eotiations within a certain time.
 The chairman of the Russian dele
 Ration expressed qualification at Ger
 man willingness to make peace with
 out annexations and indemnittes and 1 with tho self definition of peoples. He
 demurrred, however, at the German
 statement on self-dehnition as being
 incomplete. He said the war could not
 end without the re-establishment of
 the violated rights of little and op-
 pressed nationalities and Russia would insist on gasaranteees that their lawful rights would be proeected in general peace treaty.
 Count Czernin explained the posi-
 ton of the Central powers in a state
 ment which he read at the second ses-
 sion of the peace conference at 10
 o'clock Tuesday evening. His state s"The delegations of the allied (Teu- / ton) powers acting upon the clearly
 expressed win of their governments
 and peoples will conclude as soon as ., possible . general peace. The delega'
 tiOns; in complete accord with the re.
 peatedly expressed viewpoint of thetl r4k xovernments, think the basic pr1nci.
 ples of the Russian delegation can be 4@ made the basis of such peace.
 'sThe delegations of the quadruple alliance are agreed immediately te ,G conclude general peace without for
 ciblA annexations and indemnities N They share the view of the Russian Y delegation which condemns the con <, tinuation of the war purely for aim
 of conquest.
 s'The statesmen of the allied (Teu tonic) governments in programs an'
 .ntatements have emphasized time an
 nRain that for the sake of conques Ys4f11eY will not prolong the war, singl 3 tfay The governments of the allie
 ungwervingly have followed the vleN all the time They solemnly 'declar heA their resolve immediately to sig n,aS terms of peace which will stop thi to,s war on the above terms, equally Jus 1f tss. ali sbelf1gerents without exception ny '.It is necessary, however. to ind1 Aa cate most clearly that the proposal Fl declaration that Germany has no ai
 gre..sve plans, offered the possibtlit of the immediate beginning of negt
 tiations for general peace amor 5sN ell belligerents. He proposed te ~ days recess until January 4, "so tn As the peoples Whose governments haN
 not yet joined in the negotiations f.
 q general peace may have an oppo III tanity to acquaint themselves with u ], principles of such a peace as Is no 'h1 Ming established. ;NS sAt the expiration of the Indicate 's. | R st, 3corunued on Ninth Page.o
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