OCR Text |
Show SLAV AND HUN ARE DISCUSSING PEACE DR. KUEHLMANN, GERMAN FOREIGN FOR-EIGN MINISTER, PRESIDES j AT CONFERENCE. Bolshevlkl Representatives Will Expect Ex-pect General Indemnity Levies and No Annexations, According to Terms Proposed. Amsterdam. Peace negotiations were begun December 22 at the conference con-ference at Brest-Litovsk between representatives rep-resentatives of the Slav-Hun governments. govern-ments. The meeting was attended by delegates dele-gates from Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Russia. Prince Leopold of Bavaria, as commander-in-chief of the German forces In the east, welcomed the delegates and Invited Hakki Pasha, as the senior delegates, to open the conference. Hakkl Pasha, after an expression of a desire for a satisfactory result, declared de-clared the negotiations formally open and proposed Dr. von Kuehlmann as the presiding officer. The German foreign for-eign minister was unanimously elected chairman. The most important speech before the delegates was made by Dr. Richard Rich-ard von Kuehlmann, the German foreign for-eign minister. He said: "The purpose of this memorable meeting is to terminate the war be-tween be-tween the cedtlil powers and Russia and re-establish a state of peace and friendship. In view of the situation It will be impossible in the course of these deliberations to prepare an instrument in-strument of peace elaborated in the smallest details. What I have in mind Is to fix the most important principles and conditions upon which peaceful and neighborly Intercourse, especially in the eulturaj and economic sense, can be speedily resumed, and also to decide de-cide upon the best means of healing the wounds caused by the war. Declares Time Auspicious "Our negotiations will be guided by the spirit of peaceable humanity and mutual esteem. They must take Into account, on the one hand, what has become be-come historical. In order that we may not lose our footing on the firm ground of facts, but, on tne other hand, they must be Inspired by the great and new leading motive, which has brought us here together. "It Is an auspicious circumstance that the negotiations open within sight of that festival which for centuries past has promised peace on earth, good-will to men. I enter upon the negotiations with the desire that our work may make speedy and prosperous prosper-ous progress." It is said the terms proposed by Russian Rus-sian representatives include : "First, no compulsory annexation of territory taken during the war and speedy evacuation of such territory ; second, that political independence Bhall be restored to all nations deprived de-prived of Independence by the fortunes of war ; third, that national groups not Independent before the war shall decide de-cide by a referendum whether they Bhall become Independent or give their allegiance to some power ; fourth, where mixed nationalities occupy any territory the rights of the minority nhall be defended' by a separate law assuring educational freedom and administrative ad-ministrative autonomy, if possible ; fifth, no belligerent country shall be required re-quired to pay contributions, and private pri-vate persons shall be compensated for losses Incurred through the war from a special fund contributed by all the belligerents on a proportional basis.." |