Evening star., 1938-01-10
VAN ANzEELANDPLAN
OBJECTIONS CITED
British and French Assent
to Trade Proposals Is
Doubted.
BY PERTINAX.

PARIS, Jan. 10 (N.A.N.A.).-To
enforce his proposals Of financial and
economic assistance to Germany and
Italy for the general rehabilitation
of world trade, Paul van iceland has
submitted to Premier Neville Cham
berlain the following recommends
tions:
First, an international conference
be summoned IN the near future
which the United States. Great Brit
ain, France, Germany and Italy would
be invited to attend.
Second, the business Of that inter-
national conference would be not only
finally to adjust q scheme for the
pooling of all exchange equalization
funds, reappreciation Of German and
Italian currencies, drastic suppression
Of all exchange control quotas and
commercial restrictions, but also to
appoint an economic council along
the lines indicated in letter by King
Leopold of Belgium to Van Iceland,
then his premier on July %, 1887.
That economic council would be in
trusted with the task Of obtaining the
close cooperation Of all governments
regarding management of currency,
production and trade, and it would
have to be universal. permanent and
independent of national influences.
Such were the words used by King
Leopold, of course under dictation of
Van iceland, who boasts that the
powers could thus be prevented from
being irremediably split into two an
tagonistic political groups.
Three Objections.
All competent observers here are
agreed that the former Belgian
premier will not succeed in whining
the assent of the British and French
cabinets to his report, as it gives rise
to three formidable sets Of objections.
First, it cannot be reconciled with
the Anglo French communique pub
lished in London November 80, on
termination of the visit Premier
Camille Chautemps and Foreign Min
lister Yvon Delbos paid Premier Cham
berlain and Foreign Secretary Anthony
Eden. That communique insisted no
financial, economic or colonial advan-
tages or concessions could be granted
to the totalitarian states until they
had given guarantees Of peaceful be-
havior, and. as Mr.. Chamberlain put
1t in the House OF Commons, had
agreed to participate in European set
tlement. Contrarywise, the main
theme emphasized by Van iceland is
that no political guarantees ought to
be exacted beforehand, since neither
Chancellor Hitler nor Premier Mus
solini could be induced to yield on
that point.
Second. convening OF an interna-
tional conference from which all
nations Of Central and Eastern Europe
would be excluded could not fail to
weaken or even destroy the bonds of
solidarity in existence between the two
great democracies of Western Europe
and the Eastern neighbors OF Ger
many. Indeed, while suggesting such
conference, Van Iceland really aims
at paving the way for what has been
called of late years a four-powers'
policy, a policy always dear to Ger
many and Italy, which means, in
practice, that neither France nor
Britain would interfere with any
undertaking of the German Reich and
its Italian associate among the Slavs.
Fear for League.
Third. creation OF an economic
council to which Germany and Italy
would send delegates while they boy
colt Geneva could not fail finally
to push the League OF Nations into the
background. More precisely, it would
be the end of article XVI OF the
Leagues covenant, which provides for
collective resistance to an aggressor.
Next week the Geneva Council will
mold its Tooth session and the princi-
pal heads Of delegations are likely to
deliver speeches to mark the occasion.
1t will then become obvious that Mr..
Eden and NJ. Delbos are not willing to
advance in the direction indicated by
Mr.. Van Iceland. The unemployed
Belgian statesman's report will be
added to the many ambitious and
abortive documents which are gather
ing dust in the foreign ONCE. the
Quai dOrsay and the Leagues head
quarters
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