§ 3. Commander Viscount CURZONasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any information to the effect that Gabriele D'Annunzio is preparing an expeditionary force to attack Montenegro?
§ 7. Mr. RONALD McNEILLasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will explain in what manner the representation of Montenegro in the Peace Conference was accepted in principle; why, if it was accepted in principle, was it not acted upon in fact; and if he will say what difficulty, if any, prevented a representative of Montenegro from; sitting in the Conference?
§ Mr. McNEILLDoes the hon. Member know there was no answer whatever given to the last part of the question?
§ 11. Mr. McNEILLasked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether at any time during his mission to Montenegro Count De Salis or any member of his mission was interned or subjected to any indignity; if so, by whom was such insult offered to His Majesty's representative; and what steps have been taken by the Government to exact apology or reparation?
Mr. WARDCount De Salis has not reported the internment or subjection to any indignity of himself or any member of his mission in Montenegro.
§ 74. Mr. McNEILLasked the Prime Minister, in view of the fact that more than 3,000 dwellings in Montenegro have been burnt by the Serbian troops in occupation of the country, and that numbers of Montenegrins, including women and children, have been murdered, imprisoned, or driven. as refugees to the mountains, whether he will propose to the Allied Council in Paris that compensation from Serbia be demanded on behalf of Montenegro for these wrongs, seeing that this Ally has been excluded from the Peace Conference and from the Allied Council?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Lloyd George)As my hon. Friend the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs stated on 24th November, His. Majesty's Government have no confirmation of the allegation contained in. this question, and it is not, therefore, possible for me to take the course which he suggests.
§ Mr. McNEILLIs the right hon. Gentleman going to take any steps to find out whether these allegations are true or false, and is he himself familiar with the transaction which has been so deeply staining the good name of this country in its relations to Montenegro?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI can assure my hon. Friend that Montenegro is one of the most difficult questions with which we have had to deal. The people are divided, and it is very difficult to ascertain what are their views or what is their condition.
§ Mr. McNEILLIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Under-Secretary of State for War continually refuses to give the House any information, and, now that 1862 he is here, can the right hon. Gentleman give the House any more information than the Under-Secretary?
§ The PRIME MINISTERIf I had any information should certainly be happy to communicate it to my hon. Friend. I know the trouble and complexity that this question has caused to those who have attempted to settle it.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs not the real difficulty the fact that there is an ex-King related to the Royal family in Italy?
Sir J. D. REESDoes any special responsibility for Montenegro attach to Great Britain other than such as attaches to the other Allies?
§ The PRIME MINISTERCertainly not. We have to act together. Of course, it would be quite impossible for us to act except in conjunction with our Allies.