The New York herald., 1922-09-29
Changing Near East Situation.

TINE was overthrown, his son GEORGE
crowned ruler and vENIzELos was
seen again as the center of the pa
triotic hopes of Greece brings about
important changes in the tense Near
East situation. The Greek army, de-
moralized by its Asiatic reverses and
in revolt against its officers, an
nounces its determination to advance
to the defense OF the Thracian plains.
Thrace is the one point in the con-
troversy upon which KEMAL has
never yielded, and the appearance of
an armed Greek force on the Thra-
clan border would be more likely
than any other act of Greece to cause
his troops to attempt to break be-
yond the restraints which the British
have erected at the Dardanelles.
1t is now an interesting question
what will become Of this Greek army.
1t Is struggling back to Athens appar-
emily unbroken in spirit and still will
ing to fight in Europe to redeem its
failures in Asia. With CONSTANTINE
and his sympathizers eliminated
there is a chance for a new army
formed by the yenizelists, an army
with backbone of VENIzELos's own
Cretan and Hellenic island soldiers,
under the command of officers who
saw actual service in the world war
on the allied side. Great Britain
would find here force which would
prove a real ally to her in the Near
East and would give to the Greco
Turkish struggle for Thrace an en-
tirely new aspect.
Another feature is the attitude of
the Balkan States, Jugo-Slavia and
Rumania, toward a Greece with Con-
sTANTINE eliminated. He could have
expected from neither Of these any
assistance. 1t was he who made a
scrap of paper of the agreement en-
tered into by Greece, Serbia and Ru-
mania before the war, leaving Serbia
helpless in the face of Austro-Hun-
garian aggression.
Greece, with a new ruler held by
diplomatic and family bonds to the
Balkan States and with the spirit of
VENIzELos dominant in its Govern
ment, is State to be restored to
strength and an ally to be built up
into power.
What makes this action all the
more necessary to these Balkan
States is the fact that with KEMAL
in Thrace and established at Adria-
nople Bulgaria will be taken under his
wing for no other reason than that she
will form valuable buffer. State be-
tween Turkey in Europe and the Bal
kan States. kEMAL can we'll afford
to give to Bulgaria her price of an
outlet through the Martha Valley to
the 4Egean Sea and restore to her the
coveted port OF Dedeagatch. More
than ever before does the Turk s
advance into Europe presage that
Balkan conflagration which LLOYD
GEORGE foresaw should KEM4L force
his way across the Turkish straits.
The changes in Greece have had the
effect OF strengthening KEMAL's op-
position to the British and his in
sistence upon his demands. He
stands now unopposed in Turkey;
the feeble Constantinople Govern
ment has capitulated to him and it
rests with him as to who shall be
raised to the Sultanate in place of
the present occupant and who shall
be temporary Governor OF CONSTANT
nople until he enters the city. He is
concentrating his forces at Ismid, the
key defense to Constantinople, and he
is gradually moving his troops nearer
to the British defense at Chanak and
other points on the Dardanelles.
His evident intention in these ad
vances is to gain by force the de-
mands which he earlier declared to
be those that he would bring before
the peace conference. What he will
insist upon is set forth by the Ma
tionalist Foreign Minister at Angora
in reply to the allied peace pro-
posals. While he demands the imme-
diate occupation of Thrace he asks
that prior to the opening of the peace
conference the Nationalists shall oc-
cupy all strategic points and that "all
British forces now en- route shall be
recalled and the British shall alb.
stain from fortifying the neutral
zones
He denies the right of any Power
to undertake the demilitarization oil
Thrace or the Marmora, but offers no
objection to the destruction of the de-
fenses of the Dardanelles. and he in
sists that Soviet Russia, Ukraine and
all countries bordering the Black Sea
shall be represented at the peace con-
ference. HAND Bey further supple
mented these demands yesterday by
informing the British commander
Brigadier-General HARRINGTON. that
continuance of the work OF fortiiica-
tion will be looked upon by the Turks
as warranting military action. This
means--it can mean nothing else
that the Turk must be let into Eu.
rope before any attempt at holding q