Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-17
SAYS NO TO POWERS
Sultan Refuses an Armistice Until His
Conditions Are Accepted,
DEMANDS THE CeSSl0N OF TH-SSALY
Powers Are Known to Be Unanimously
Opposed to This Proposal.
EVEN GERMANY WILL BE ReSolUTE
Portes Reply Causes Great Surprise to All
European Nations.
ZEN GERMANY WILL BE ReSolUTE
H)lD A CONFERENCE
Consider the Grave Issues Raised by
the Sultau's Answer to Their
Joint Note, but Reach No
Decision.

CoNSTANTlNOPLE, May 16.-The Porte
has replied officially to the note of the powers
and declines to agree to an armistice until
the following conditions are accepted:
1. The annexation of Thessay
2. An indemnity of f10, 100000 (Turksh).
3. The abolition of the capitulations.
The Porte proposes that penipotentiares
of the powers should meet at Pharsalia to
discuss the terms of peace and declares that
If these conditions are declined the Turkish
army will continue to advance.
The demand for the annexation of Thessaly
is based upon the fact that the province was
originally ceded to Greece on the advice OF
the powers with the object of ending brig
andage and Greek incursions into Ottoman
territory, the Porte believing at this time
that the cession would obtain these objects,
but the recent incursions of Greek bands and
the events Immediately preceding the war
have proved to the contrary. This is the
substance of the reply
The ambassadors met today to consider the
Portes answer, which Is regarded as raising
an extremely grave issue. 1t Is believed that
representations will be made to the sultan
personally to induce a modification of these
terms, but 1t is forescen that this will be
very difficult, owing to the attitude of the
powerful old Turk war party. If the Porte
should prove obdurate European conference
is not lllprOOaDlC, although at present
Russia is opposed to this.
1t Is regarded as quite certain that the
powers Will not consent to a retrocession to
Turkey of Thessay Even Germany is be-
lieved to be resoluta on this point, because it
would involve a violation of the Berlin treaty
, and imperil the peace of the Balkans.
Altogether the reply of the Porte has
caused the greatest surprise. 1t appears that
during the discussion of the notes from the
powers before the council of the sutan's
6 hpI Inn hat
Greeks had landed at Palona and were march
ing to Janina with the intention of co-operat-
ing with other forces from Arta This
created bad impression among the minis
ters.
LONDON, May ia dispatch to the
Standard from Constantinople says "The
Porte's reply to the powers is based on q
mazbat presented by the ministers to the
sultan representing that Greece was re-
sponsible for compelling Turkey to declare
war, that for the last fifteen years Greece
had ignored her engagements under the Ber-
lin treaty by emitting to pay indemnity, by
seizing and coniscating VakoupS re-
| ligious domains, and finally by invading
| Turkish soil, and that, therefore, the council
was Of the opinion that Greece had no Just
| claims on him for leniency.
Then follow the proposals upon which the
| council would base a peace. The grand
vizer in submitting the mazbat assured the
| sultan that the nation was prepared to shed
| its last drop of blood in support of such
conditions of settlement
"The war party. threatens to dethrone the
sultan if he shows any weakness, but shrewd
| observers believe that this is only a farce to
! enable him to pose before Europe as the un-
| willing victim of his fanatcal subjects
| I'm spite of the great success of Edhem
| Pasha the palace spies have expressed their
| doubts of his fidelity and the sultan has
| sent special aid-de-camp to watch him."
| dispatch to the Daily Mail from Con-
| stantinople says the Porte's reply demands
| in its closing paragraph an extradition treaty
| with Greece and that the ports of Volo and
| Prevesa be kept open for vessels carrying
| food supplies to the Turkish troops
| dispatch to the Daily Mail from Con-
| stantinople, dated Saturday says: Germany
| is urging the sultan to insist upon the
! European control of Greek finance as the only
| means of securing a payment of the indcm-
| nifty Representatives of the Deusche bank
| will arrive next Saturday to realize on the
| promise of important concessions which the
| sultan has made to the bank.