Evening star., 1921-10-02
CAUSE OF ALBANIAN TURMOIL
LAID AT GREAT POWERS DOOR

strife among the various clans is apt
to produce anarchic conditions.
The political status of Albania is at
the present juncture very obscure.
The political frontiers are far from
clear. as there are two conflicting
theses put forward. The Albanians,
the so-called government of Tirana,
claim that the frontiers of the coun-
try were defined by the powers in
1913. They declare that as Albania
remained neutral in the war she did
nothing to Justify any change and
that these frontiers still subsist.
This, however, is not the case. On
December IA. 1915, l called on Essad
Pasha in his palace in Durazzo and
he informed me that he had, the pre-
vious day. declared war on Germany
and Austria. He had at the same time
and sent them out of the country on
board an American sailing vessel.
which happened to be. lying Off the
town. A year later l Was y. esent III
Saloniki, when Essad Pasha landed
there as the recognized ruler of AL
bania and was received at the landing
stage by Gen. Sarrell, the commander
in-chief Of the army of the orient, to
which I was then attached. Essad
was received with all the honors due
to the chief of an allied state. Under
these circumstances the claim of the
mained neutral during the war is
'unfounded.
Albania being thus regarded as
belligerent, after the victory arrange
ments were made for a Anal delimita-
tion, under the auspices of the peace
conference. of the respective terri
tories of the Balkan states that had
fought on the allied side-that is to
say, Serbia, Albania and Greece. This.
however, has not yet been done and
this inexcusable delay is the cause
of great complaint on the part of the
Jueoslavs and Greeks and is largely
responsible for the anarchical cond1-
tions now prevailing on the Albanian
frontier. Z
Until this work of delimitation
should be carried out provisional
frontier line was drawn by the peace
asked by the allied powers to guard
This line does not coincide with the
frontier laid down by the London
conference in 1913. This fact has
brought about the present attacks OF
holding the line. The Albanians refuse
to accept this line. even professionally,
and have repeatedly tried to drive
back the Jugoslav troops now noio-
ing it.. The great powers, by their
are responsible for the present clash
on the Albanian frontier.
The AEbanians have appealed to the
league of nations. But M. Spaia1ko.
witch, the delegate of Jugoslavta at
Geneva, has rightly challenged the
title Of the league Of nations to in
tervene at the present juncture. 1t Is
only after the allied council of am
bassadors has finally settled the ques-
tion of the new frontier line that
the authority Of the league OF nations
can be invoked. It is the duty of the
league to see that both parties re-
spect the decision regarding the from
tiers. The league of nations itself
does not take any hand In fixing the
Since the armistice Serbia has had
to accept many decisions of the pow
ers regarding territories due to her.
In the Adriatic, In the Baranya, In
the Bachta and in the Banat she ac-
cepted every decision, though in al
most every case she regarded the de-
cision given. as. unjust to her ma
tional aspirations.
And now she is asked to give way
once more simply because a number
of turbulent Albanian tribesmen
threaten to make trouble it their
claims are not admitted, without fur
ther parley, by the powers. Serbia
takes her stand upon the peace
treaty. This provides that the from
tier shall be delimited by an inter-
national commission appointed by the
allied powers. Is 1t too much to ask
that after nearly three years have
passed, this commission should finally
line only q few miles long?
GORDON GORDON-SMITH. |