§ 1. Mr. MANDERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the present position with regard to the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay; and what steps the League of Nations is taking with a view to bringing the conflict to an end?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Eden)I regret to say that this dispute still remains unsettled. A Committee of Three appointed by the Council of the League of Nations has been following the dispute, and on the 20th May a draft report by this Committee, which had the approval of the Council, was submitted to the representatives of Bolivia and Paraguay at a meeting of the Council. The report recommended that the settlement of the dispute should be entrusted to an impartial body with authority to make proposals for determining the frontier in the disputed region. The procedure proposed involved the immediate cessation of hostilities, and the preparation of an agreement to determine the questions on which there should be arbitration. For these purposes it was suggested that a League Commission should be sent to the 742 Chaco region. This report has been accepted by the Paraguayan Government, but not yet by the Bolivian Government, who maintain that before they can accept arbitration on the main issue, an agreement must be reached as to the zone to be affected by the arbitral decision. Efforts are still being made to bring about a settlement on the basis proposed by the League Council.