The New York herald., 1920-01-23
FRANCE CONTROLS
ALL OF CILICIA
Power of Republic in Ascendant
Throughout Mediterranean
Territories.
BY WILLIAM r. ELLIS.

Frances star is in the ascendant around
has she won out in her controversy with
Great Britain over the possession OF
Syria, but she also has settled down into
possession of Cilicia, which ad Joins Syria
on the west. She also is at the moment
highest In favor with the Turks.
Frances control Of Cilicia, at first only
a military administration under the
Allies, has now settled down into per-
manent possession She has taken over
the courts, as well as the railways and
the ports, and has distributed her officials
over the outlying parts OF a literally con-
strued Ciiicia.
The famous Ci'ician plain itself. one OF
the garden spots and backgrounds OF
antiquity. lies between the eastern end
OF the Mediterranean and the Taurus
Mountains. Foremost among the his
torcal char cters with which it is asso-
lciated are the Apostle Paul. who was born
and educated in Tarsus, long its chief
city, and Cleopatra. whose romance with
Antony had interesting chapters located
here.
Grand Mountainous Scenery.
The famous Cilician Gates. the pass
through the Taurus Mountains which con-
meets the uplands Of Asia with the Cilician
plain. is one OF the grandest bits Of noun
tain scenery TO be found on earth. l would
rank it with Coorado's best and as al
most rivalling the famous Georgian mill
tary road across the Caucasus.
AS at present occupied by the French.
who make their seat of administrat ton at
Adana. the region reaches northward and
eastward to include the cities of Sivas
Mol. ~..s.
and Diarbekier. There is no interval be-
tween the new sphere and Frances
Syrian possessions. The territory reaches
Ito Mesopotamia and into the mountains of
the region loosely called Armenia 1t also
approaches near to the Black Sea.
FROM commercial standpoint, which
is almost the first consideration in Near
Eastern Developments, this new occupa-
ton gives to France control of all the
Eastern Mediterranean seaports, from
Haifa, clear around the head of the sea
to Mersina, the port of Tarsus and Adana.
such pivotal seaports as Beirut and Alex
andretta and Latakia and Syrian Tripoi
are included i'm the new French domain
The shipping business of all Syria and
Cilcia and upper Mesopotamia and East
ern Asia Minor will thus be under the
control of the French Already there has
been a mercantile commission surveying
the ground and the resources. both natu-
raj and commercial, of this rich hinter land
have also been investigated.
France Now Dominates.
or equal Importance with the control
Of seaborne trade thus secured by France
Is the fact that her new possessions. il
they may so be termed, give her control
of considerable section of the length of
this great war prize. Now France will
have to be given a say in its direction.
IF G
go to the Middle East over this famous
line will be carried from France in ships
to Aexandretta and then put aboard
trains. This development gives France a
closer connection with the trade Of large
part of the East than England. because
principal ports of France are on the Medi-
tef-anean and nearer to the Bagdad Rail-
way at Alexandretta. The present politi-
cal rivalry OF the two Powers will soon be
commercial also and on a large scale.
There is another important side to the
French occupation Of Cilicia. This region
has been claimed by the advocates of an
independent Armenia. They have said
that without the seaports and trade and
agricultural products of Cilicia, Armenia
would be strangled The second largest
centre of Armenian population in Turkey
is Adana, made famous by the massacres
under Abdul Hamd.
BY Frances seizure or Cilicia and the
principal cities adjacent, which the Ar
menians ha1 looked upon as their own
and TO be claimed by them before the peace
conference. II would seem as n the hopes
OF the Armenians for greater Armenia
are already dashed. France Is not likely
TO surrender what she has already taken
into her possession. Great Britain alone
could force her to do so. and Great Britain
is in an analogous situation In Mesopo-
tamia To force France TO dlsgorge Cilicia
would be to acknowledge that she herself
must disgorge Mesopotamia.
With every week the prospects OF the
little nations OF the Near East for escape
from the domination OF European impe-
rialism grow steadily DINNER.