Evening star., 1935-10-24
SeIassie Firm Against Peace
Proposal Delivering His
Nation Into Hands of Italy
and Other Powers.
ROME WANTS ANSWER
BEFORE BOYCOTT BEGINS
Laval Pledges France to Seek
Compromise Acceptable to
League as Warships Leave for
Mediterranean and Mussolini
Prepares to Cut Libya Army. :

(copyright. 1885 by the Associated Press
PARIS, October "a. - Negotiations
between Rome. Paris and London 1or
settlement of the ItalO-Ethloplan wal
and the European crisis arising from
it came to head today with Premier
Mussolini pressing for an answer to
his peace conditions.
II Duce, after his conciliatory ges-
ture to Great Britain to withdraw q
division of troops from Libya, asked
the central negotiator, Premier Pierre
Laval. whether France would be will
ing to accept Italy's proposition for
East African peace.
Mussolini, making his request
through Vittorio Cerrutti, Italian Am
baSsador to France, also sought the
French premiers' opinion as to what
Great Britain's reply would be.
Little Chance of Acceptance.
Circles close to Laval expressed be-
lief openly there was little chance that
Great Britain-or even France
would accept II Duce's proposal.
Laval received British Ambassador
Sir George Clerk this morning. but
there was no official announcement of
what occurred Laval was believed
however, to have asked the Ambas-
sador whether London intends to
withdraw a few battleships from the
Mediterranean in return for MuSso-
lini'S withdrawal of a division from
Libya.
Italy's terms for final settlement OF
its conflict with Ethiopia have been
printed widely here as including dis
armament of the East African empire
an international protectorate over the
central regions and an Italian pro-
tectorate over the remainder.
Rejected by Selassie.
Emperor Halle SelaSsie has abruptly
rejected any such solution.
Authoritative French sources felt
that Britain, insisting on a solution
within the League of Nations accept
able to the King of Kings. would
refuse to accept any terms short OF
italian withdrawal from Ethiopia.
Laval, in a talk before the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the Chamber OF
Deputies yesterday. also pledged
France to seek only a compromise
fully acceptable to the League.
French officials believe Mussolini
was anxious to know whether or not
his conditions would be accepted be-
fore sanctions against Italy become
effective-when it may be too late -
Laval informed Ambassador Ger
futti that he had transmitted Mus
solini's suggestions to London and
had received no reply.
Mussolini Seen Yielding.
Informed sources interpreted Mus
solini's haste for an answer as in
spired partly by respect" for Franco
British solidarity following Frances
conditional pledge of support for the
British fleet if it were attacked in the
Mediterranean while enforcing sane
tionS.
These sources also believed Musso,
lin1 had growing feeling that he
had bitten off more than he could
chew"
Laval, who disclosed that Mussolini
had agreed to his request to with
draw some troops from Libya, con-
fronting Egypt, as gesture to Britain,
also told the French Deputies he had
warned Mussolini last April against
an invasion of Ethiopia.
A member of the Chambers Foreign
Affairs Committee said the premier,
who had been accused by his op-
ponents of promising Italy a free
hand in Ethiopia, told the Deputies
he had never hidden from Mussolini
that France would have to associate
itself with sanctions against an ag-
gressor state
Assured of British Backing.
Deputies said Laval assured them
France and Britain were "in complete
accord"
This statement was interpreted gen.
orally to mean that Britain told
France she regarded the League COW
enant as requiring assistance to
France in the event the latter was
ever a victim of an unprovoked ag-
greSSion.
Laval told the committee Frances
battleships would steam Immediately
to the assistance of Britain if the
latter's feet was attacked by Italy,
and that further assistance would be
dispatched by land and air. The
ministry of the navy announced,
meanwhile, that certain French war
ships had left their bases for train
ing maneuvers." The cruisers Emile
Bertin and Duguay- -Trouin, 5 destroyers
and 13 submarines left Brest. The
cruisers Foch, Duplex and Tourville
and submarines sailed from Toulon