Evening star., 1919-02-19
Small Nations Claims
Come Before Conference;
Italians Not to Arbitrate

Italians MOI 10 AFOitFdIe
PARIS, February Is tby the Asso-
ciated Press).-The supreme council
of the great powers today heard the
portrayal of Serbia's claims. Some of
the representatives of the council.
however, remained away, feeling that
the time for talk was past and that
the present need was action for get
ting back to peace basis.
This movement is taking form in
the most responsible British. Ameri-
can. Italian and French quarters and
promises to yield definite results with
in the next few days. The first stage
will be in the permanent armistice
plan, which Marshal Foch will pre-
sent within a fortnight, taking the
place of the short-term armistice an
nounced yesterday.
These permanent terms will be the
preliminary steps toward peace and
will be incorporated into the peace
treaty to follow.
fastening Provisions
The present prospect is that the first
draft of five or six essential provi-
sions will be ready when President
Wilson returns March Is, SO that
early action can be secured by the
full conference and the enemy powers
can be called in by April. The peace
congress. with all the powers repre-
sented, would thus be constituted by
late spring and give prospect of the
conclusion OF a peace treaty by the
early days of summer.
After hearing the Serbs today their
claims were referred to a commission
with the exception of the issue with
Italy on the eastern Adriatic. on
which negotiations for an adjustment
are still proceeding.
Italians Balk at Arbitration.
The Italian delegation to the peace
conference, according to an official
note, has informed the secretary Of
the conference that II cannot accept
the proposal for the arbitration of
Italian and Jugoslav claims in Dali
malta as urged by the Jugoslavs.
The italian plenipotentiaries in their
letter to the secretary explain that
all territorial claims are being sub
mitted to the peace conference and
they do not believe that recourse
should be had to any exceptional pro-
cedure.
[Early last week the Jugoslay dele
President Wilson to act as arbitrator
in the differences with Italy regard
ing the eastern coast of the Adri-
attic. President WILSON suggested
that the Italians and Jugoslavs dis
cuss their differences. The Italians
time. Later the Jugoslav delegates
appealed TO Premier Clemenceau, as
president of the conference, to act as
arbitrator, but there have been no
reports that the French leader took
any action on the question:
Albania's Claims Presented.
A memorandum on the claims OF
Albania has been presented to the
peace conference. The AIbanians
asked the peace conference to ac-
knowledge their rights which, it ID
/ said, were sacrificed in Berlin in
| 1878 and in London in 1913.
| 1t is recalled that the Aibanians re-
| volted at the beginning OF the war
| q gainst a government under control
! of the central powers and that they
! permitted the retiring Serbian army
| to reach the Adriatic in 1915. The
| Albanians claim all territory given to
Montenegro, Serbia and Greece after
| the London conference of 1912 and as
! sert that most of the people inhablt-
| ing those territories are AIbanians
: X =
| bania by the Greeks and by the armies
| OF the central powers also is asked
! by the Albanian government
| Esthonia Wants Relief.
! The Esthonian peace conference
| delegate. in assigning the reason for
! his governments consent to meet the
| bolsheviki at Prinkipo or elsew he re-
! said to the correspondent today:
4 4t1.i i-fE h.
/ inals. but view the proposed confer
! ence as an international court and
| plaintiffs must meet criminals in
| court
| The delegate added that his country
! now had been cleared of the bolshe-
visits, although guerrilla warfare was
| continuing on the frontier. At pres
! ent his country's dilemma was eco
| nomic and a solution of il depended
| on allied relief. The delegate said
| the recent German offer of financial
| assistance was refused.
Committee Hears Greece's Claims,
| The official statement on the work
| of the special committee on territorial
| claims says;
| The special committee for the
study Of territorial questions relating
| to Greece met Tuesday at 10 am. al
! the foreign office. This committee is
! composed of the following delega-
| tions: Representing America, w. L.
| Westermann and Olive Day. Great
| Britain, Sir Robert l.. Borden and cir
| Eyre Grove: France. Jules Cambon
and Jean Gout; Italy. N. de Martino
| Costolidi.
THE committee is making an ex-
animation of the conditions to be con
sidered in determining the northern
I boundary Of Greece and northern
Epirus. The different delegations pr.-
sentcd their tentative proposals."
| The proposed itinerary of Vice Ad.
| miral Viscount Jellicoe, former com