§ 7. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Minister at Kovno, in association with his French arid Italian colleagues, has made any communication to the Lithuanian Government urging the acceptance of the territorial status quo as regards Vilna; and, if so, will be state the nature and objects of the communication?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINThe communication made by the British, French and Italian representatives at Warsaw and Kovno last February was to the effect that their Governments attached the greatest importance to the establishment of cordial relations between Poland and Lithuania, and would be very glad to see a resumption of the negotiations, broken off more than a year ago, in order to secure the establishment of direct and regular river, railway, postal and telegraphic communications, etc., between the nationals of the two countries.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODCan the right hon. Gentleman say why these three Powers took this step, which would have been more suitably taken by the League of Nations?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINWe took it mainly in the general interests of peace, in the hope that we might serve those interests by the representations which we made; but partly because British interests are affected by the unhappy relations which prevail—purely trading interests. We have interests in the timber traffic, which are impeded by these relations.