London, July 5.
Authoritative sources to-day confirm that M. Paul van Zeeland, Premier of Belgium who arrived here this afternoon and will call on the Prime Minister, Mr, Neville: Chamberlain, will attempt to mediate the four-Power non-intervention deadlock involving France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy.
van Zeeland may suggest that Britain and France agree to the rer cognition of the rights of belligerency for the two Spanish parties, limiting those rights to Spanish territorial waters, in return for the agreement of Italy and Germany on the Anglo-French plan of naval control of Spanish coasts.
Press comment here is extremely reserved over development in the international crisis following German. and Italian opposition to tHe Franco-British plan for control of tHe Spanish coast, It is still hoped it will be possible to find a compromise capable of maintaining the principle of nonintervention and control.
The "Morning Post" states, "There must be concessions from Germany and Italy. If Italy, agreed to some kind of sea control and also consented to make a start at withdrawing her volunteers as suggested by the French Ambassador, M. Charles Corbin, last week, it is not inconceivable that the British Government would consider granting belligerent rights in modified form, "It would be useless," the "Morning Post" continues, "to pretend that the conduct of Germany and Italy during the last fortnight, not to mention their published announcements, has not aroused suspicion of their partiality. It is not impossible that the way out of the impasse will be proposed by one of the smaller states, In this connection the name of Belgium has been mentioned.'—Havas,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.