Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-27
BRITAIN TO RETAIN
M0SUL OIL V|LAyET
No Influence Strong Enough to
Make Government Recede,
Curzon Tells Ismet
WORD OF NATION PLEDGED
BV Associated Press

Lausanne. Dec. 27.-Through For.
eign Secretary Curzon, Great Britain
informed Turkey today that the British
never will abandon the Mosul oil vilayet
az requested by the Turkish delegation.
md that no prolorgation of the Nes,
East conference can influence the Brit.
ish Government to recede from the posi.
tion 1t has taken on this matter.
The British position is outlined in
letter scnt by Lord Curzon to Ismet
Pasha. head Of the Turkish delegation,
covering the formal reply of the Brit.
lsh delegation to the Turkish note Of
Sunday last. which insisted Mosul be
longed TO Turkey.
Lord Curzon said in this letter that
the British Government had expelled
the Turks from the Mosul arca and oc.
"npi"d and administered it The Drit.
ish had taken a pledge TO free tho
Arabs from Turkish rul" and establish
the Government of the Irak. and Eng
:Hnd since then had rnn"atedly given
her word that the Arabs would NOT h.
interfercd with.
Lord t'mrzon added that Great Brit.
am had given her solemn pledge TO lct
no foreign power take anv part Of this
territory and that she would stead.
lastly adhere to her promise.
The Foreign Secretary said. however.
!hat Great Britain was prepared 70
nave her cXperts meet the Turkish OK.
pcrt;s to define the northern boundary
of the Irak.
The reply also questions the relabil.
ity of the statistics put forth by Tho
Turks to Justify their claim to Mosul.
Ihc British note concludes
Ihe British Government reiterates
IT'S refusal even to contemplate the sur.
render OF the Mosul vilaypt and is un.
able to see any advantage which can
result from further argument.
In discussing what Lord Curzon
meant by the statement in his letter
that the British delegation was willing
TO have its experts discuss with the
turkish experts the precise tracing Of
the northern boundary of the Mosul
vilayet. British spokesman said this
merely meant that the British dclpga.
lion stands ready to adjust the northern
boundary--to NOV" ii n few miles south
II the Turks so desire. to give n more
natural and more easily dcrcn>ibe
frontier.
The British r"ply cited numerous in.
stances of Kurdish rcvolts against Turk.
ish rul" and denied absolutely the Turk.
ish claim that tho Kurds and the Turks
are identical and should BE- treated MS
one people.
Lord Curzon's letter also stated that
the British were ready to grant IT,"
Kurdish districts in the Mosul vilay,
autonomy in cases where this wa
desired.
London. Dec. 27.-lBy \. PA
Renters dispatch from Lausanne says:
There is serious danger of the Near
East conference becoming abortive II
thc Turks persist in their present
methods"
Moscow. Dec. 27.-CBy A. Pl-
Maxim Litvinov, acting foreign min.
lister, has sent n note to Great Britain,
France and Italy regarding the settle.
ment of the fate of the Memel territory.
The note asserts that any decision in
which Russia Is not Il partner will not
be recognized. NJ. Litvin"v EMPHASIZES
the importance of Mpmel 70 Russia's
lumber industry for which the port is
the gateway to the world markets.
Memel. located on the Baltic Sea.
was internationalized by the Treaty OF
Versailles. The territory formerly be-
A