A more liberal interpretation of the procedure by which national minorities submit complaints to the League of Nations was demanded by M. Koch, a member of the German League delegation, speaking at today’s session of the Assembly’s sixth or political commission. He criticized the League of Nations way of interpreting the decision of the Madrid meeting of the Council regarding improvement and changes in the procedure.
During M. Koch’s address and the discussion that followed Aristide Briand, August Zaleski, Polish foreign minister, Dr. Eduard Benes, foreign minister of Czecho-Slovakia, and Count Albert Apponyi, former Hungarian foreign minister, were present.
M. Briand expressed confidence in the present system of minorities procedure as adopted by the Council at Madrid, emphasizing that the previous speakers, representatives of Japan, Germany and Austria, had not demanded any change. Adding that the League of Nations had not failed to protect the minorities and hence does not deserve criticism on this score, M. Briand took a definite stand in opposition to the proposal for the creation of a special minorities commission in the League.
Dr. Benes declared that changes in the procedure were impossible without having consulted all the powers signatory to the minorities agreement. Count Apponyi criticized the basis of the existing procedure and expressed his approval of the suggestion for a special minorities commission.
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