New-York tribune., 1921-02-21
Turks to Profit
BY Revision of
Sevres Treaty
Greece Expected 10 Lose
Some of Her War Gains
as Result of Conference
With the Allied Premiers
Bitter Debate Anticipated
Agreement Is Looked For
That Will End Warfare
Now Raging in Asia Minor
By Arthur S. Draper
From The Tribune's European Bureau


Copyright, 1921, New York Tribune Inc
LONDON, Fob. 20.-The Allied Pre-
miers will meet here in conferences
this week with the leaders of the
Greek and Turkish governments to dis
cuss revision of the Treaty of Sevres,
which dismembered Turkey. Out of
the discussions the Allies expect at
least to draw an agreement that will
end the warfare in Asia Minor and en-
able the British and the French to re-
duce their military commitments in
the Near East.
The Greeks are expected to lose some
of their war gains, and the Turks will
profit by the discussions, winning back
territory that the Treaty Of Sevres
took away from them.
The delegates for the conferences
already are on hand, with the excep-
ton of representatives of the Angora
Nationalist regime in Turkey. They
will arrive Tuesday in time for the
first formal meetings at St. James's
Palace. In Downing Street tomorrow
morning the Allied representatives will
hold an informal meeting to discuss
their course of action.
The Turkish Nationalsts will fight
to the bitter end for possession of
Smyrna and Thrace, the two stretches
of territory that the Sevres pact ceded
to Greece. The Allied leaders will CEN
ter their attention in the first few
days Of the conference toward draw
ing together the Sultan's delegates and
Mustapha Kemars REPRESENTATIVES in
order that when an agreement is
reached it will satisfy all factions.
Changes TO Aid Turkey
Mustapha Kemal has so firmly es-
tablished himself in Anatolia that he
is now to the people of that peninsula
/ what Michael Collins is to the Sim
| Feiners, The Greek nation cannot
maintain a military campaign against
Kemal although this is not surpris-
ing when such a strong nation as Great
| Britain is being urged by a strong
body of opinion here to withdraw from
Mesopotamia because the cost of main
tanning an army there is so great
Italy opposes the aggrandizement of
Greece and France supports Italy for
several reasons.
The notifications that will be made
20 the Treaty of Sevres are undoubt-
edly to be to Turkeys advantage. Just
how much the terms are to be changed
depends upon the degree of unanimity
which the Allied powers can reach in
their own councils.
Then will come the question whether
the Turkish Nationalists will accept
what the Allies are willing to concede
as the price of peace. Greece hasn't the
influence to-day in the Supreme Council
that Venizelos brought to bear at San
Reno and, in addition, three pro-
foundly important developments have
come since the rich plums awarded to
Greece in the Sevres document were
given out.
The first of these is the growth of
the incorporation movement under
the Gandhi in India. These rebels
against British rule have had simply
to point their finger at Mahometan
| Turkey and win new converts to their
| movement Conditions in India are
growing steadily worse from the Brit
sh point of view and part of the blame
is to be found in the Treaty of Sevres.
/ The fall Of Venizelos in Greek
power and the restoration Of Constan-
tine to the throne were the second i'm
portant development. Although Veni-
zelos obtained Smyrna and Thrace for
/ the Greeks they expelled him from the
premiership. The objection to his
regime was that he was keeping too
many men under arms. If the Greek
troops in Anatolia we're in a sorry
plight last November when Venizelos
| fell, their lot now is even worse.
/ Moreover the claims that Venizelos
presented to the Premicrs at San Reno
lack the Importance to-day that they
had then.
Britain's Alternative
The third development of significance
is the report on Egypt, submitted by