New-York tribune., 1918-01-26

lts leaders, to remain calm. The bust
ness would be conducted to the end
with coolness, he declared, and would
achieve good results if the peoples of
the Dual Monarchy supported their re-
Sponsible delegates at the conference.
Count Czernin went OF to declare
that the basis Of the negotiations be-
tween Austria Hungary and what he
alluded to as the various recently
created Russian states was peace with
out annexations or indemnities.
~ shall not abandon this pro-
gramme," he announced, "and those
who thought | should allow myself to
be led away from the path which /
determined upon are bad psychologists.
J have never left public opinion in the
least doubt as to the path which I
am following, and / have never allowed
myself to be diverted an inch from
this path, either to the right Or to the
left.
"Whilc the pan-Germans and all
those IN the monarchy take them
as their model have honored me with
their undoubted support, | am con-
sldered by those who wish peace at
any price as being in favor of war.
But neither the one side nor the other
has ever worried me. Their insults
,
llonS IN these serious times
81 declare once again that I demand
from Russia not a metre of territory,
not ccntimc of indemnity; and if
Russia, as seems to be the case, adopts
the same point Of view, peace ought to
result
Ihosc who wish peace at any price
might be able to cast doubts upon my
loyalty if did not tell them to their
lace with the same categoric frankncss
that shall never agree to conclude a
peace exceeding the limits which | have
just indicated. If our Russian inter-
rogators asked us to cede terrtorics 8
and pay indemnities | should continue
the war, despite the desire for peace
winch share as much as you, or I
should resign if were unable to make
my opinion prevail"
but once more IL can be stated that
there is no reason to draw the pes
slmistic conclusion that the peace ne
gotiations will fail, for the commits
sions which arc comforting are agreed
TO the principle Of peace without an
ncxations or indcmnitics, and only new
instructions from various Russian gov
crnmcnts and their disappearance
could change this status"
Two Serious Difficulties
The minister said the two most scr-
Gus difficulties which are the cause of
the negotiations not proceeding as
quickly as every one could wish were
"lhat VIC arc not dealing with one
interrogation, but have to negotiate
with various newly created Russia
states Russia, AS represented by
Petrograd; with the Ukraine, with Fin
land and with the Caucasus directly,
and with others who for the moment
are not represented at the Brest-
Litovsk negotiations.
"Wth the Ukraine we already have
advanced far" he said ave have come
to an understanding on the basis of no
anncNations or indcmnitlcs, and We al
ready have agreed to a great extent
that commercial relations should be re
sumcd, as they ought to be. But the
great difficulty is that the Ukrainian
Republic has adopted this principle on
the understanding that in negotiating
with us she is negotiating as com
pletcly independent state and With abb
sol ute autonomy, while the Russian
delegatIon asserts that rs the frontiers
OF the Ukraine have not yet been def
nlteiy fixed, Russia has right to take
part IN our negotiations with the
ukrainian delegation. right which
the latter does not wish to admit.
"Uncertairty as to the internal stu
alton in Russia is causing considerable
delay, but we also have overcome this
difficulty, and believe that an early
date VIII see the way free for re-
sumption of the negotiations.
Count Czernin confessed that hc did
not know what the situation was to-
day. NJ. JofIe chairman Of the Rus
sian peace delegation at Brest- Litovsk)
had notified the delegation Of the Cen
trail Powers that the delegation of the
Republic Of Workmcn and Peasants of
Ukraine, which sits at Kharkov, did