The Spanish Outlook An improvement in weather conditions in Spain
fore- shadows an early resumption of military activity on several fronts, for Madrid is not likely to be the only scene of heavy fighting. New conflicts may be expected . at Malaga and Oviedo in particular. What few engage- ments there have been round the capital in the past week have gone in favour of the Government troops, who have had leisure during the winter lull to strengthen their defences. In the diplomatic sphere promised progress is being achieved at the usual deplorable speed. Neither Germany nor Italy has done or said anything openly to throw doubt on the declared willingness of the two countries to put a ban on volunteers from their own territory and to co-operate in making the general ban effective, but the Non-Intervention Committee in London, which has the matter in hand, is still waiting for the reports of sub-committees and sub-sub-com- mittees, and the date on which every country is to apply its own ban has not yet been fixed. After that the complicated machinery for the supervision both of the munitions ban and the volunteers ban has to be set up. Italy appears to be still sending men to Spain and Germany material. Spain is not at present seriously accentuating the international tension, but effective co- operation even of a negative kind has still to be achieved.
