Arizona republican., 1919-01-27
DOUBT EXISTS
 THAT RUSSIANS
 TOFOREGATHER
Stephen Pichon Says Bol- sheviki Have Not Refused Admits They Have De Facto Governm ent- League Agreement Will Follow Conference

PARIS, Jan. 26.-(By the Associated Press. )-Stephen Pichon. the French foreign minister. received the Associ ated Press and a number of. American, British. Italian and Japanese newspa- per correspondents at his private office in the foreign office today and talked freely and frankly of the status of the big foreign questions as they are af- fected by the conference. The meeting was in the same room where the coun- cil of the great powers meets
 we have no response from any of the Russian clements said the minis ter, answering the first question, rela- tive to the invitation to the Russians to meet at Princes Islands for a con ference with the allied and associated powers.
 The minister was asked if these non official statements were accepted as indicating that the meeting at Princes Islands would not take place. There is some doubt as to that" re- piled NJ. Pichon. "aS the bolsheviii, in this non- official statement, do not say positively that they will not attend, but merely present some objections
 As to whether a meeting could be ar ranged elsewhere than Princes Islands, ! the minister replied that was ques- | only one of the members, he could not say what they would do. The minister added, however. that the opinion ex- pressed by the Russian groups in Paris 1 seemed to embody the views of the 1 governments they represented. If no meeting took place on Princes Islands, it would then be for the council to say what the next step with reference to Russia would be.
 When asked if the bosheviki were a 1 de facto government, the minister re- piled:
 BoIshis Have Government
 They have a de facto existence, and this has led to their being invited with the others
 Concerning the various interests in Syria and Arabia, M. Pichon expressed
 the belief that all can be reconcilcd
 by mutual concessions.
 In reply to the question as to how
 long it would be before an agreement
 was had on tte league of nations, he
 said:
 That is difficult to say before we
 have a full plan. The drafting will be
 the work of a committee. and then the
 conference must pass on the work. , But 1t is evident that there will be an agreement on a common plan , Speaking of claims for reparation M. Pichon said that France and all the other countries interested were pre- parins data, but it would take some time to arrive at exact figures. The published reports concerning the
 amount of thee laims varied. and it
 was impossible, the minister added, to
 give the exact figures at present. ., Territorial questions. he went on were beginning to be considered now 2 in connection with various questions 5 before the council. As to the possi- !, bility of the discussion Of the league ] of nations delaying territorial adjust s ments, he said:
 r Not at all. as the examination of l the two questions proceeds adong par |. allel lines
 n Relative to the French attitude tow $ ard holding the left bank of the Rhine {, Nj. Pichon declared that various pub t lished reports were premature anc Q more or less incorrect. When his at- n tention was called to remarks whicI
 Marshal Foch had recently made Or
 the subject, M. Pichon said. q Marshal F'och spoke in his persona ' capacity on this subject and it has no = yet been considered here'