Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-17
FRANCE AND ITALY
ARE SEEKING PEACE
Welfare of Europe Hinges on
Conference Now in
Progress.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

BY Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright. 1927.
PARIS, December 17.-All Europe
is eagerly watching the secret nego-
tiations which have been begun be-
tween France and Italy for the pur-
pose of allaying the growing rivalry
between these two Latin sisters"
The negotiations will probably last
for months. They will be conducted
through diplomatic channels without
publicity. II they succeed Dictator
Mussolini of Italy and Foreign Minis
ter BRAND of France win meet to con.
secrate the agreement in a public
amity celebration, and what every one
has considered to be one of the gravest
dangers to European peace will have
been removed.
Tranquility will be restored in both
the Balkan and the Mediterranean re-
gions. The peril of Italy joining Rus
STA, Germany, Hungary and other
lesser states in a federation of NAL
contents to undermine the existing
political order will have been elimi.
mated.
Hostile Groups Forming.
If the negotia lions fail it will be an
evil day for Europe. Already two hos
tile groups have been forming. Under
French influence are Jugosla via,
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Rumania and
Belgium. Under Italian influence are
Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania and Spain,
and perhaps even Lithuania. The bit.
ter diplomatic competition which has
been proceeding for months In the
Balkans. the Mediterranean region and
in North Africa would be likely to
spread to still other regions.
The Italians say the problems are
not local, but European, and that no
European peace Is possible unless an
agreement Is reached. The moment
is therefore decisive. According to
Dictator Mussolini the problem under
consideration, while not insoluble. Is
delicate. But the very fact that So
luton is at least being sought arouses
hope.
One of the principal obstacles in the
way OF an understanding is psyche
logical. France Is rich and Italy is
poor. France is underpopulated and
Italy is overpopulated. France is the
oldest national state on the continent
and Italy is one of the newest. France
is perhaps the most democratic coun-
try on the continent and Italy now Is
perhaps the least democratic. France
is satisfied with the present distribu-
ton of the worlds territory and wants
to see it maintained, while Italy is dis.
satisfied and intensely ambitious
Italy is jealous of France and France
has been perhaps somewhat contemp.
tuous of Italy. France feels that Italy
is trying to disturb the peace. and
Italy feels that France is trying to
block and thwart Italy's legitimate
expansion at every point.
Claims of Italy.
But even. greater than these psy.
Geological difficulties is the obstacle
created by the fact that while France
has nothing to ask of Italy, the latter
is asking nearly everything of France.
The government Fascist
press has gone so far as to claim for
Italy the French provinces of Nice,
Corsica and Savoy. Nobody outside
of Italy takes these claims seriously.
Italy's serious claims, SO far as is
known now, are as follows:
/. France shall cease trying to
naturalize 10000 Italians living In
the French colony Of Tunis.
2. France shall accord a wide
frontier rectifica ton to the Italian
African colony Of Lydia at the ex.
pense of the French colony of
Algeria.
3. France shall support the Italia n
claim to a share in the administra.
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