Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-15
LAUSANNE FARLEY
t IRON OUT MANY
EUROPEAN KINKS
United States Not Officially
Represented, But Will
Watch Result.

Lausanne, Nov. 1.-THE complicated
Near East situation, which constitutes
perhaps the sorest spot now remaining
in European political affairs, is to have
what promises to be a thorough airing
in the diplomatic gathering of prime
Importance beginning here Monday, and
which may continue for several weeks.
Invitations to the parley, which has
come to be known as the Near East
peace conference, were sent IN the
names of Great Britain. France and
Italy to the governments of Japan, Ru-
mania, Jugo-Slavia, Greece, Turkey and
the United States. The same govern
ments also invited Russia and Bull
garia to send representatives here lat
a later date to participate In discus
sions concerning the Straits of the
|Dardanelles-one Of the most important
subjects on the agenda.
Primarily, the plenipotentiaries will
seek to end the war in the Near East
between the Greeks and the Turks,
which has been sizzling, and at times
assuming more menacing proportions,
ever since the Sevres treaty of 1920
informed the Turk that his presence
was no longer desired in Europe. Act
ual military operations, in fact, were
halted only a month ago, when the
Turkish forces under Mustapha Renal
Pasha, commander-in-chief of the Ma
~tionalist army, consented to an armis-
tice following the complete defeat Of
the Greeks.
Attitude of U. S.
The attitude of both Russia and the
United States toward the conference
has presented many interesting as
Ipects, not the least of which is the Rus
sian contention that she must take q
leading part in any negotiations center
ing around the Straits. in which she
has a tremendous commercial interest.
1--WE are not making threats and are
not rattling the sword" Foreign Minis
ter TcIfcherin said recently, but We
do insist upon proper consideration in
all questions relating to the Near East,
and particularly the commercial free
dom of the Straits"
The United States, IN the other hand,
has declined to participate officially
in the conference, holding that as it
never had been at war with Turkey,
1t did not believe it could appropriately
take part in framing a treaty of peace
with that nation in association with
the allied conferees.
The Washington government did say,
however, that it had sufficient interest
in the conference to send observers
here for the parley, and outlined the
subjects which particularly concerned
1t. Among other things, the United
States is on record as favoring un-
qualifiedly the freedom of the Darda-
|nelles, the sea of Marmora and the Bos-
porus, as well as the protection Of
racial and religious minorities.
Definite Flights Of America
It also is recognized, according to
the American secretary Of state, that
the United States has certain very
definite rights under the so-called capt.
ulatory treaties, pertaining to extra
territorial concessions granted foreign
ers; and again that the Washington
government is not disposed to see
Americans Disseminated against in ia
vor of the nationals of other nations.
Another sidelight on the conference,
and n which has played no small part
in the preliminary interest, is the at
titude of the United States as regards
the allied tendency to exclude Russia
from participation in the general DELHI
erations.
It is understood here that the Amer
lean government is strongly inclined
toward the belief that no permanent
ISOLATION Of the Near East problem can
be hoped for unless steps are taken
to conserve and protect the legitimate
interests Of Russia in any settlement
that may be ATTEMPTED.