Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-10-05
NEAR EAST WAR
! LESS MENAC|NC
Brltish-Turklsh Farley to Call
Halt on Armies.
GREEKS TO QUIT IHRAct
Kemars lnslstance That British Evae-
uate the Asiatic Shore Still Source
OF Peril.

uate tne ASiatiC Snore otiti oouFc0
OF PERIL
Constantinople. An immediate
mutual agreement to suspend all
movements of troops was expected to-
be the first outcome of the Mudania
armistice conference.
The conference will discuss the oc-
cupation Of eastern Thrace by detach-
ments of inter-allied troops during tho
Greek armys withdrawal.
The expectation Is the Greek evacu-
alton will begin Immediately after the
conference, permitting the establish
ment of Turkish administrative con-
troll.
General Sir Charles Harrington, the
British ommander-in-chief, left for
Mudania on the dreadnought Iron
Duke. The Italian and French gen.
erals who are to attend also made the
trip on battleships Of their respective
navies.
NJ Franklin Bouilion, peace envoy
from the allies to Mustupha Renal
Pashn, the Turk leader, returned to
Constantnople from Smyrna on the
French cruiser Metz, successful in his
mission of arranging an armistice con-
ference.
He conferred with General PelIe,
French high commissioner in Constan-
tinople and Is understood to have told
him only the most extraordinary eff
forts on his part prevented Renal
from acting rashly.
He made 1t clear to the Nationalist
leader IL war were renewed in the
Near East 1t might spread to the
whole Of Europe and the responsibility
would rest entirely on Renal.
New difficulties await the British at
the conference. The Kemalists will
insist upon the British withdrawal
from the Asiatic shores of the Darda-
nelles and the immediate evacuation
of Thrace by the Greeks.
They will probably also demand the
right to cross the Straits to pursue
the Greeks, as well as guarantees
against the use of Turkish waters by
Greek warships and transports. The
presence Of Greek war craft at Ro-
dosto furnished the Kemalists with a
pretext for accusing the British Of ig-
noring their pledges regarding the
non-use Of neutral waters by the
Greeks.
It Is expected the conference may
drag for several days, as the Kemal-
lists doubtless will bargain and haggle
over every point 1t is felt that the
moderating influence of the Italian
generals will be an important factor
in bringing the meeting to a success
full conclusion.
The British declare they will insist
upon occupying the Asiatic banks Of
the Straits, even at the peril Of fail
ure OF the conference. They may also
contest the immediate withdrawal Of
the Greeks from Thrace, making this
conditional upon acceptance Of the al
lied peace proposals The inviolabili-
ty Of the Straits will be stoutly de-
Tended.
Frontier clashes continue between
Turkish irregulars and Greeks. In
one of these, near Stranja, ten Greeks
and twenty Turks were killed.
The Greek commander has Informed
the allies the Greeks will not be re-
sponsible for the neutrality of the
zone, which recently was delimited to
defend the Tchatalja line.
The Greek army in Thrace for the
moment is absorbed in the excitement
of revolution, and its reorganization
Is proceeding 1t is not certain, how
ever, to what extent the recent potiti-
cal upheaval will suffice to restore the
morale of the troops.