The New York herald., 1922-09-20
The Lineup in the Near East.

Great Britain, it now appears, must
stand alone against the Turks. The
French Cabinet unanimously ap-
proves of Premier PorNcARE's pacific
policy, which, diyested of diplomatic
persiflage, is let KEMAL and his army
into Europe. One step toward the
carrying out Of this policy is the
withdrawal Of French troops from
the neutral zone, especially from
Tchanak, the narrowest part of the
Dardanelles. the point to which the
Turkish commander is directing his
advance and from which he could
most easily cross into Thrace and to
the outer defences of Constantinople.
In this situation there is grim
reminder of the centuries old rival
ries between France and England.
France has as her supporters Italy
and her Balkan allies, Jugo-Slavia
and Rumania. She is, too, in align
ment with the Moscow Soviet as a
defender OF KEMAL and of his rees-
tablishment at Constantinople. She
has taken over the part Of the paci-
fist and the advocate of moderation
and caution-the part which Great
Britain had when France called for
bayonets to enforce her demands
against Germany. There Is the stu
alton reversed when Great Britain
finds the fruits of her own victories
| in the Near East threatened.
But back of this refusal to join
Great Britain in stopping KEMAL a:
the Turkish Straits lies more than a
spirit OF retaliation for British op-
position in Western Europe. There
is the whole question of Frances own
| interests in the Near East and the
danger of loss of all the decided
advantages which she has gained
there since the war. When Great
Britain weakly backed Greece France
turned to KEMAL as the winner.
Scarcely had he established himself
/
France sent to Angora BoUILLIoS
her ablest student Of the Near East
and most skillful handler of hei
Moslem affairs.
BoUnLIoN was successful beyond
Frances expectation. He negotiated
treaty with KEMAL. ostensibly for
strengthening the northern border oi
Syria, by which France obtained q
part of Cilicia and Of controverted
part of Syria. She got control OF the
Bagdad railway from the Taurus
Mountains east to the Tigris. with
access to the Mediterranean at Alex.
andretta, the former German port
and the right to connect the Bagdad
railway at Aleppo. or some other
point in that region. with French
port on the Syrian coast.
At about the same time Italy OBJ
tained from the Angora Government
recognition of her rights to the
I Isle of Rhodes and concessions in the
Asia Minor littoral which gave her
] the control of rich mines in ancient
Cilicia and port on the coast. In
this way France and Italy plucked the
prizes of eastern Asia Minor beyond
those which fell by the Sevres treaty
to Greece. France got absolute con-
troll OF the eastern part Of the Bag
dad railway. Italy got the richest
mineral wealth of eastern Asia MI
nor and the most accessible. 1t is
\ the Greeks contention that these two
treaties were the cause OF their defeat
\ in the Salt desert on their second in.
vasion OF Anatolia. The immediate
withdrawal Of French and Italian
i troops which had been opposing the
Turks gave KuMAL the desired oppor.
tunity to throw his entire forces
against the Greeks.
KEMAL defeated, Nationalist Gov
ernment overthrown and the Sultar
returned as the real power OF Turkey
would make treaty signed at An.
CORA a piece OF paper. But KEMAr
as the head OF Turkey makes his
treaties fully operative and in force
The reason for espousal Of his cause
by France and Italy becomes fully
apparent.
But what France and Italy pro.
fessed to see In Great Britains aid
to Greece was the creation of stront
and friendly Power in southern
Europe which would form a bulwark
for the Suez in the eastern Mediter
ranean. The Greek predominance
In the Near East, her control of the
Straits and perhaps her eventual oc.