Proceedings of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference: the peace ...

:
:
168 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BEEST-LITOVSK CONFEBENCE.
Sub-Commission as proposed by me.
Then we could decide who shall take part
in this Sub-Commission at this session.
Trotsky. Before I give you a detailed reply I must have a consultation
with my«Delegation. It will require but little time.
KiiHLitANN. I expect to have the reply to-day, because, as I have already
said, we need this preparatory work complete for our session of to-morrow. The
representatives of the Sub-Commission could then have a day at their disposal
for their labors. Our proposal has been known a long time. All the questions
concerned have )ieen discussed in detail, and I firmly believe that all arguments
have been already used, and that now we have to bring them to a conclusion with
a view to making a decision concerning our peace negotiations. I have already
stated our proposal, which could in a certain degree replace the second clause
of the projected peace treaty. This formula is as follows
Russia must agree to the following territorial changes, which will enter into
force after the ratification of the peace treaty. The regions between the frontiers
of Germany and Austria-Hungary and the indicated line will not be in
the future a dependency of Russia. As a result of their former adhesion to
the Russian Empire, no obligation will result to them toward Russia. The
further destiny of these regions will be settled in agreement with the peoples
concerned, namely, on the basis of those agreements which have been concluded
betA'^•een them and Germany and Austria-Hungary.
In handing over this formula to the President of the Russian Delegation,
I state that an essential part of our proposal is in clause 1, which we have
already sufficiently discussed, and during these discussions no insurmountable
obstacles have appeared . for the conclusion of peace. I will give my point
of view in a few words. It is as follows
The evacuation of certain regions was promised by us under the condition
that at the same time the evacuation of resions taken from our allies will be
carried out. At that time we considered as the nearest date when the evacuation
by us was to begin, the date of the complete demobilization of the Russian
Army. I state that concerning this date we are ready to compromise, and I
must repeat what I have already stated. I declare that we can not accept a
peace treaty, in which it is not diplomatically promised to evacuate the Provinces
taken from our allies. In accordance with the explanation given by the
People's Commissary for Foreign Affairs, I think there is no ground for doubt
that the troops which are in occupation, of Turkish provinces, and of which I
think, in the first place, are under the authority of the Petrograd Government,
I shall touch here also the second clause, which has been discussed by us many
times, namely, the question concerning the future of the Aaland islands. I
must point out that the peace treaty must give us at least the same rights as
we had before the beginning of the war, I shall also recall to you the most
passionate wish of the Swedish people to reunite with these Islands, where
they have, besides geographical and ethnographical considerations, the most
vital interests.
Trotsky. Concerning the evacuation of the Turkish provinces, we find in our
principles sufliciently weighty considerations for our declarations that the
evacuation of the Armenian territories could not be considered simply as an
exchange for the evacuation of the one of the other portions of the occupied
Russian territories. As we are withdrawing our troops from Persia, we shall
also withdraw them—we have already begun it—from Armenia. It is beyond
doubt that we shall stiite that clearly in our peace treaty with Turkey, if our
negotiations should advance so far. Concerning the Aaland Islands, I must
say that I did not understand of what minimum of rights the Secretary of
State was speaking. If he had in view the obligation of Russia not to fortify
these islands, then. Independently of the very essence of the question, the
arguments of the Secretary of State appeared to me as being not entirely correct,
so far as the rights of Germany created, and so far as Germany has not