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Show Will SEES 1HUCH PUH OFJTEHTONS Replies to General Hoff-' Hoff-' man's Statement at Brest-Litovsk Brest-Litovsk Regarding Baltic Bal-tic Sea Provinces. VON KUEHLMANN TRIES TO EXPLAIN Bolshevik Foreign Minister, However, Asks Postponement Postpone-ment of Conference to Deliberate. PETBOGRAD, Thursday, Jan. 24. A detailed account of the Brest-Litovsk conference session following General Hoffman's bold statement of the aims of the central powers, was published by tho Smolny Institute today. Leon Trotzky, the Bolshevik foreign minister, minis-ter, addressing the conference, declared that "the position of tho Austro-Ger-mana is now absolutely clear." Continuing, Con-tinuing, tho foreign minister said: "Germany and Austria Beck to cut off more than 150,000 square vorsts from the former Polish kingdom of Lithuania, also the area populated by tho Ukrainians and Whito .Russians, and, further, thoy want to cut into territory ter-ritory of the Letts and separate the islands populated by the Esthonians from the same peoples on the mainland. Within this territory Germany and Austria Aus-tria wish to retain thoir reign of mili-' mili-' tary occupation, not only after the conclusion con-clusion of peace with liussia, but after the conclusion of a general peace. At tho same tinio the central powers lefuse not only to give any explanation regarding re-garding the terms of evacuation, but also rofuse to obligate themselves re-guarding re-guarding the evacuation. . Guarantees Illusory. '''Tho internal life of these provinces lies therefore for1 an indefinite epoch in the hands of these powers. Under such conditions any indefinite guarantees guaran-tees regarding the expression af the will of the Poles-, Letts and Lithuanians Lithuan-ians are only of an illusory character. Practically it means that the governments govern-ments of Austria and Germany take into their own hands the destiny of these nations. ' ' Trotzky declared that he was glad now that tho central posveis "were speaking speak-ing frankly, stating that General iloff- umii ; cuituiiiuns proven mat me rem dims were builded on quite a different level from the principles recognized on December 25, and that read or lasting peace was only possible on the actual principle of self-definition. "It is clear," Trotzky declared, "that the decision could have been leached Ions; ago regarding peace aims if the central powers had not stated their aims differently from those expressed ex-pressed by General Hoffman." Von Kuehlmann Explains. Dr. Richard von Kuehlmann, German secretary for foreign affairs, replied to Trotzky, declaring in principle that General Hoffman's aims were the same as those advanced on Christmas. Throughout the negotiations, he said, the Germans had kept in view the ethnological eth-nological boundaries, but also the actual boundaries of the old Russian empire. He said that the central powers intended intend-ed to permit free self-definition, scoffing scoff-ing at the theory that the presence of troops would prevent this. Regarding evacuation, Dr. Kuehlmann said that it must be taken up with the newly born self-defined governments. If General Hoffman expresses the terms more strongly," said Dr. Kuehlmann, Kuehl-mann, "it is because a soldier alwavs expresses stronger language than diplomats. diplo-mats. But it must not be deduced from this that there is any dissension between be-tween us regarding the" principles, which are one whole and well thought out." Dr. Kuehlmann consented to Trotzky Trot-zky 's request for a postponement of the conference, declaring, however,' that it would be much pleasanter if they could finish the negotiations now, as the formal recess brought about manv misunderstandings. |