Evening star., 1925-10-04

by the ears and preserved the
Il threat of war during most of
the sixth session of the assem-
bly,. has two quite different aspects
which are of unequal Importance but
both of great interest. There is the
main issue between the British and
the Turks and there Is also the prob
lem of the league and it's capacity
to deal with question patiently men,
acing world peace.
AS to the main issue the facts are
simple. The district of Mosul living
between the territory recognized to
be Turkish and the region best known
$ Mesopotama had been, prior to
the World War. under Turkish rule
for centuries. 1t was inha bited mainly
by kurdS, Mohammedan tribesmen,
but 1t was actually at the frontier
between these mountaineers and the
Arabs. To complicate the already COM
plicated situation. it was also plenti-
fully supplied with trouble ma king
minorities both in the matter of race
and of religion.
Vast Arab Kingdom.
After Turkey joined the central
powers in the World War the British
developed ar amazingly ambitious
plan for the reorganization Of the out
lying Turkish provinces between the
tier, which were mainly but by no
means wholly inha bited by Arabs
There was to be vast Arab kingdom.
more or less under British influence
and covering the flank of all the routes
between the Mediterra mean and British
India, as we'll as the great oil fields
of Southern Persia. The Arabs were
persuaded to join the British against
the. Turks and their aid was Il de-
cisive factor in the struggle.
Unfortunately for the British. while
they promised the Arabs all of the
liberated regions they We're con-
strained to make promises for diff.
ferent disposition of certain portions:
thus they agreed that France should
have Syria and they embarked upon
the adventure which was to provide
the Jews with national home In
Palestine. From the very outset, too.
they came to grief with the French
who insisted upon having Syria, and
with the Arabs, who insisted that they
had been promised Syria IS a part of
the new Arab state. Quite as unpleas-
antly the British encountered Arab op-
position to the Jewish plan in Pales-
tine. where the Arabs were the domi-
nant ethnic element.
The French difficulty was finally
settled by Anglo-F'rench agreements
which bestowed Syria upon France.
10 he held az mandate from the
League of Nations. But Anglo
French relations were poisoned by this
dispute. At one stage. too. the pos
session of Mosul was sharply contest
cd, but ClemenCeau ultimately WELD
ed. accepting a promise of a percent
age of the oil for France, and it was
precisely this dispute which called
the attention of the world to the real
value of what was otherwise one of
the most for rSa ken OF regions
Emir Feisal Set IN.
So far the disputes had been be-
tween France and Britain. In due
course of time the French got their
mandate of Syria organized and the
ruler of the Arab state, which took
the title of 1rak. But from the out
set the whole Mesopota mian mandate
was unpopular in Britain because it
entailed vast expense and was re-
garded as not merely wasteful but in
volvins the empire in grave dangers.
So great was the pressure at home
that the British government had
planned to retire from the situation in
1928. giving Irak a treaty of alliance
and thus at one time preserving Brit
ish influence but escaping direct re-
sponSlbility by abandoning the man.
date.
oo ldI, lO"eNeE, the uTklSn aspect
has not been very important. In the
treaty of Sevres, one of the series
which were signed by the defeated
nations after the war, Turkey was
made to cede Mosul. which was de-
signed to be joined to the Arab
state that Britain was to create. At
that moment Turkey was powerless
to resist the occupation Of Mosul. but
1t did not ratify the treaty of Sevres.
Instead it presently declined to ac-
cept 1t and engaged in war with the
Greeks, who undertook to make good
their rights to Smyrna and other
Turkish lands under this same
treaty. After a considerable period
of success the Greeks were finally
beaten and driven out of Asia Minor
and the victorious Turks came to the
straits determined to assert their
rights not alone to all their lands in
Asia Minor but also the Adrianople in
Europe.
There was Immediately a crisis and
FOR several weeks grave danger of
war between Britain and Turkey
Lloyd Georges frantic appeal to the
dominions to support the mother
country in what promised to be a
new war was the outstanding circum-
stance in this crisis, and at one time
ELECTED very lukewarm responses from
the dominions, which had no desire to
stllu lIOOpS overseas again, ana leo
to Georges own fall at home, where
public sentiment was equally opposed
to war.
Territory Restored.
AS a consequence of British reluc-
lance to fight, a reluctance not a lit
tie stimulated by the fact that both
Italy and France declined to stand
with her and were, in fact, more or
less openly sympathizing with the
Turk, the Turks were presently able
to achieve q very real victory at
Lausanne, where they made a new
treaty. replacing that of Sevres, and
restoring to them much of their lost
territory both in Europe and in Asia
But the treaty Of Lausanne left the
question of Mosul open. The region
was claimed both by the Arabs and
the Turks and the Arabs had the
powerful backing Of British diplomacy.
In the end it was agreed to send the
question to the League of Nations
which appointed a commission to re-
port. Technically, the mission of the
Geneva representatives was to settle
a disputed boundary: actually. 1t was
recognized that it would decide upon
the title Of Mosul. to the district as
we'll AS the city which gives it's name
to a former Turkish vilayet.
The report of the commission. re-
Gently presented at Geneva, the direct
cause. too, of the great disturba nee,
must rank as one of the most remark.
able of arbitral documents. 1t was
not unanimous and 1t proposed not
one but three solutions. If Great
Britain would consent to undertake
for % years-that is, for % years
longer than her existing contract,
which she did not intend to renew