The Washington times., 1928-12-14
BOLIVIA BALI KS
PEACE PARLEY
PLAN HERE
Ry lnternatIonaI 81 servIce

klNA NtAyNt
Efforts of the Pan-Arnerican con-
ference to arbitrate the widening
rift between Bolivia and Paraguay
received another setback today when
DIR. Diez de Medina, Bolivian min
igter and deIegate to the conference,
announced he would attend no plen-
ary sessions at which the boundary
dispute was under discussion.
Last.nninute instructions from Ia
Paz reached de Medina today advis
ing him to stand pat on the Boz
iivian demand for moral repara-
tons before any arbitration ii ~.
tempted. The Minister further re-
ceived wor dof the appointment Of
Tomas Manuel Elio as Bolivian min
lister OF foreign affairs, and as EIio
Is OF the opposition party, de Me-
dina pointed out the unity Of
thought in his country.
Newspaper editorials from the
leading Brazilian publications, also
sent de Medina, indicated Brazil il
backing Bolivia in the dispute.
At session Of the special media.
tion committee, headed by ". "a.
Maurtua. Peruvian minister. defi-
mite peace offer was agreed upon TO
submit to Bolivia and Paraguay as
q means OF adjusting their troubles.
Heretofore, the committee had been
divided over three proposed plans
of procedure.
The peace plan was scheduled to-
be laid before the conference at q
plenary session later in the day.
Emergency Call
The plenary meeting was called
today after the mediation commit
tee had discussed, behind closed
doors last night. various suggestions
concerning how best to prevent =
war between Bolivia and Paraguay.
So divergent were the views ex-
pressed by the ''big five, Charles
e. Hughes, OF the United States;
Victor M. Maurtua, Of Peru: Manuel
Foster, of Chile; Brazilian Ambassa-
dor Amaral, and Cuban Ambassador
Ferrara-that the committee decided
to put the question OF procedure up
to the full conference.
Maurtua, chairman OF the COM
mittee, declared that agreement
was reached that no investigation
was necessary before offering defi-
mite conciIiation. The committee
disagreed, however, as to which OF
several methods advanced would be
most effective.
1t was indicated that the confer
ence would move forward in its ef-
forts regardless of Bolivia's attitude
of demanding moral reparation"
from Paraguay for what the former
terms an unprovoked attack at Fort
Vanguardia in the disputed territory
near the undisputed Paraguayan
frontier.
Inactivity Apparent
After two days of seeming In
activity due principally to failure
to receive encouragement from
Bolivia, the mediation committee de-
cided hurriedly late yesterday to
meet following receipt of q note
from Paraguayan Charge .D'Affaires
Juan Ramirez, that war appeared
Imminent because of concentra-
ton of Bolivian troops and war
supplies near Bahia Negra. the
Paraguayan port ON the Paraguay
River.
When the committee met, 1t had
before it, a reply from Paraguay
favorable to conciliation, one
described as less favorable from
Bolivia, and the note which Ramirez
had sent the chairman of the com.
nittee and to Secretary Kellogg
telling OF the seriousness of the
situation because of Bolivia's new
action in effecting. troop move
ments.
Ramirez said the Paraguayan
government believed Fort Van
guardia to be the objective Of the
Bolivians. It was this fort, erected
by the Bolivians, that was the
immediate cause Of the clash last
Thursday in which 20 Bolivian
soldiers were killed. They had been
ordered by the Paraguayan forces
to evacuate, and when they opened
fire in reply, the Paraguayans
drove them out, Ramirez said.