New-York tribune., 1922-08-27
The Syrian Situation
Official Statement Of Facts From the
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CHiSiaI statement OF r acts from the
French Government
TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: / have just received fron,
the French government an official state
ment, giving the facts about the
Syrian situation and setting at
naught false assertions which have
been printed
! am sending yoa copy of that
statement, and / should feel extremely
obliged If you would kindly have this
printed in your columns.
GASTON LIEBERT,
French Consul General.
New York, Aug. 23, 1922.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
II seems that part Of the press In
the United States has been for some
time past rather mininformed, or In
formed in a mischievous way, as to the
real situation in Syria and in Lebanon,
The statements or protests of the
Syrian committee" cannot really be
taken seriously, as they come from
few individuals who have personal
grievances following their dismissal
or eviction from governmental func-
tions in either Syria or Lebanon. It
is iiiconceivable that assertions such
as the one putting the number Of that
so-called Syrian committee" at
100000 should receive credence, when
the total population of Syria and
Lebanon, according to the 1922 census,
is only 100000, including the nomad
tribes.
As for the 10000 (?) well-armed
partisans who are supposed to be ready
to start guerrilla warfare" against
the French troops in case the French
mandate should be maintained, that is
one of those prophecies which nobody
can reasonably believe in until its
realization, which may take a very long
time.
Independent of these groundless
hypotheses, the news received concern
ing the recent occurrences in those
countries is not more accurate. Der
ez-zor, which, according to a news
paper report of May 1S, was in the
hands of the Syrian Arabs, is not only
still occupied by our troops, but has
increased in Importance and in strength.
No insurrection has taken place, as an
nounced, among the Arab tribes on
the borders Of Trans-Jordania. These
news items are absolutely false, and
it is enough to say so without giving
the matter an Importance which it does
not deserve.
The ill-meant distortion Of the
Damascus and HONS incidents shows
the state of mind from which this sort
Of information proceeds.
At Damascus, after six days of dis
turbances, on April II last, there were
four people wounded and one killed not
by the shells Of the motor guns, which
fred only blank shots, but by the crowd
in effervescence who crushed those un-
fortunate people.
At HONS, on April 10, during a meet
ing of the pupils of the Sultanieh Col
lege, which the scum of the population
of that city did not fail to attend, the
troops had to intervene, a native hav-
Ing fred pistol at French officer.
Two were killed and three wounded
who remained on the spot. The troops,
moreover, intervened without arms
and the soldiers contented themselves
with scattering the crowd with the
lashes of their military belts.
The letters or kilograms which are
produced in the press of America all
come from the same source, namely
Cairo, where there are gathered the
few factious elements dominated by
personal resentment and by the desire
of attracting to themselves an impor-
tance which neither the Syrians Of
Syria nor the inhabitants of Lebanon
are willing to concede to them.