Evening star., 1923-03-11
NEAR EAST PROBLEMS
SOON WILL BE SOLVED
Allies Expected to Make Further Con.
cessions in Meeting Turks
Final Position.

will have gained practically all that
| they set out to gain when Mustpaha
| Kemal announced, following the
treaty of Sevres, that he would have
the patriotic elements about him to
resist the sultans government and
western European powers as we'll.
The road has been long and thorny
for the Turks. as well as others, but
the Turkish philosophy that 1t pays
to wait when the common enemy
shows signs of division has been
justified by the course of current
events. The Turks have waited and
they have gained.
Dangers Still Lurk.
In case the Turks and the allies
! reach agreement on general terms
there remains danger in the issues
| that are left over to be settled by
individual national agreements. where
concerted cooperation of the allies is
unessential. The Mosul question al
ways will be difficult until the final
agreement is effected and the terms
become operative. The territorial
commercial and financial questions, in
whlch the French are much interest
ed, undoubtedly abound with pitfalls.
but cannot be regarded as serious un-
less here be unexpected Developments
There is considerable speculation as
to the attitude of soviet Russia in re-
gard to Turkish agreements in regard
to the straits Gallipoli and other ter
ritories. The Russians, through
Tchitcherin. foreign minister, repeat
edly have declared that they never
Will consent to any agreement which
does not recognize Russia's rights in
regard to Black sea outlets. Though
on the face of the Lausanne pact re-
strictions are made as to the scope
of fertilization and the numerical
strength of allied fleets in future
operations through the straits and the
Bosporus. it is generally agreed that
these are susceptible to several inter
Dretations and are avoidable. The
Russians declare that Russia will be
left open to danger from all allied
fleets and though no effort is made to
discount this theory. allied statesmen
discount the necessity of using large
fleets In the Black sea. 1t is notice
able fact. however, that since it be-
came apparent that the Turks were
wavering in regard to straits conces-
sons the Russian shpyards along
the Black sea coast have been ex-
tremely busy.
Rift With Moscow Likely.
Bolshevik control and influence in
Turkey has not been felt so much
through Mustapha kemal as through
the militaristic. radical elements.
which have, since the very first, in
sisted IN warfare against the allies /
The decision of the Turks to pursue
courses of moderation would indicate
that there may be a gradually in
creasing rift between the Angora
government and Moscow unless the !
Turkish radicals by coup d'etat oust |
,Yyy- ~Jan |, -
ish menace at one time was real and |
again will be real unless Mustapha /
kemal holds the reins very tight |
over Angora. |
One of the things most desired in !
any allied Turkish agreement is |;
peace in the Balkans. During the |,
months of diplomatic conflict and the |
flow of nationalistic currents the ;
Balkans have been arming and pre- ;
pairing for war against Turkey. /
conflict Balkan countries believe the !!
Turks have been preparing in order
to regain all of Thrace and Mace
donia. The Grecian army has been
feverishly brought up to full strength /
again and is a flrst-class fighting
force. Other armies have been
strengthened by the call to co1ors
of new classes. In fact. Paris and
London long have realized that most !
any kind of an incident would lead
might spread to untold ends, always
with Russia and Turkey co-operat-
ing in the subjugation of southeast
ern Europe. With Turkey at peace
with the allies, it is believed that
allied influence in Balkan countries
will be sufficient to prevent a rush
to arms and may, in fact, extinguish
the war fires that have been burning
in southeastern Europe for the past
twelve years.
But in the whole situation one !
great fact stands out: The nations
involved are to make every effort
to prevent further conflict A GER
tain degree of nationalism will be
scotched. a degree of pride forsaken,
that there shall be no threat or re- |
of war All of which could !
have been obtained a, year or more
ago as we'll as now had not the |
spirit of inordinate nationalfstic
selfshness not been paramount ev-
erywhere in the old world.