Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-11
BY FRANK II. sIMONDs.

%OMEWHAT obscured by more
dramatic events, such as the
British general strike, the fall of
~ the franc and the German refer
endun, the treaty recently made
between the British and the Turks
covering the long contested question
of Mosul nevertheless promises to be
one of the most important Of post
war agreements and may easily prove
the basis for a continued period Of
peace in the Near East.
1T would be difficult to imagine a
more complicated issue than that
raised by the dispute over the final
ALLEGATION of Mosul. It's value was at
once economic and strategic; economic
because there is involved the possess
sion of the valuable oil deposits Of the
region: strategic because Mosui is, In
measure, the key of the whole Meso-
putamian region and thus in Turkish
hands would render insecure and
probably ephemeral the state OF Irak,
erected under British inspiration at
the Paris peace conference.
The dispute has dragged for eight
years, during which the principals
have changed. AT the outset 1t was
battle between France and Britain.
the former basing its claims upon a
treaty made during the war between
London and Paris which did actually
assign Mosul to the French along with
Syria While France and Britain
were quarreling Turkey rose from the
ruins Of her complete defeat and be-
came a claimant.
CIemenceau Yielded at Paris.
At Paris Britain had the best of
France and Clemenceau, much to the
disgust Of his fellow countrymen,
yielded. Mosul was turned over to
the new Arab state. which was, in
fact, a British pawn, and the French
frontier-that is, the boundary Of the
French mandate OF Syria--waS car
ried back to the Tigris. north Of Mo-
sui. France thus disappeared from
the scene, but the resentment born Of
the dispute poisoned the Paris atmos-
phere and had a very evil effect uron
Anglo French relations for a long time
thereafter.
EWcted from Mosul, the French pro-
ceeded to make separate treaty with
Turkey. just beginning to show signs
Of recovery, by which in return for
certain cessions of territory at and
north of the Gulf OF Alexandretta and
along the Bagdad railway France OBJ
tanned immunity from any Turkish at
L.
suit which was to prove very useful
when the later Syrian instructions
began.
The Franco-Turkish treaty, made
| by Franklin Bouiilon for France, was
| followed by the Turkish war with
Greece, which was acting In q meas
ure rs an agent Of Britain. Greece
was beaten, Turkey returned to the
Straits, recovering all Of her lost ter
ritory in Asia Minor and carrying her
frontier In Europe back to the lines
Of 1914. Lloyd George made his fran
| tic appeal to the allies to resist this
Turkish advance. But not only did his
allies of the war decline. but also the
British Dominions refused to rally,
Lloyd George fell and o. war In the
Near East was avoided only by the
Illuminating recession OF Europe be-
fore the Turks.
Turkey Got Support.
At Lausanne, where the Near East
ern situation was hquidated, the
Turks took high tone and. having
had their own viii on most of the
other questions, turned their atten-
ton toward the question of Mosul.
So far they had received a consider
able, IL tacit. support from both Italy
and France, which were hostile to
British policy, the French because
| they were using the Near East as q
Icounterbalance to the Rhine country,
the Italians because they had aspira-
| tons in Asia Minor and were natu-
rally unwilling to see the Greeks, as
agents Of the British, foreclose upon
all the Aegean shore from Smyrna to
Adalia.
The rivalries between European
fefnA
saving the Turks, who at Lausanne
maintained their demand for Mosul
and now seemed prepared to turn their
victorious armies against the strug-
Cling state OF Irak. They were the
more encouraged because British pub
lie opinion was much opposed to the
"Mespot" adventure and the aSsump-
| ton OF vast expenses and dangerous
responsibilities in this direction
At Lausanne the Turks and the
British agreed to send the Mosul prob
lem to q League OF Nations commits
sion. But from the outset the situa-
ton was complicated because the Brit
| ish insisted that the commission was
| to decide the title to the whole prov
ince, while the Turks argued that only
| q frontier delimitation was involved.
Always, 1t is to be remembered, the
issue was nominally between the state
OF Irak and Turkey. with Britain APP
| pearing as the mandatory for Irak.
but the British had decided to aban-
| don the mandate and retire once they
had put Irak on its feet and settled
the boundary questions.
Decision Was Complicated.
The commission OF the leagee. how
ever, returned surprisingly compile
lscated decision. 1T ruled that M6sul,
practically entire, should go to Tur-
key outright unless Britain was ready
to assume the mandate for the Irak
state for q fresh 25 years. This de-
cisfOn meant, Of course, that the COM
mission perceived that TralS could not
, hold MosuI against Turkey, and. that
Hi the British insisted upon Arab
claims they must assume the respon-
sibiIity for protecting the Irak.
This verdict was equally unpopular
iii Angora and In London. because to
the Turks 1t seemed q yindication Of
their legal and moral claims, since 1t
assigned the territory ia question to
them save in case the British assumed
new mandatory responsibilities To
| the British Ii was unwelcorne because
| the Mesop0tanian issue had become a
domestic political problem and public
sentiment was against new risks and
new waste.
Turkey protected this decision and
q year ago seemed on the point or
appealing Ito arms. She had cOnsld-
cradle forces IN the region and began
the transfer of achievements. An
AngIo-Turlxish war. which had been
| Imminent ut the close Of the Greco
Turkish conflict, when the Turks
came to the Straits, again seemed
about to break loose. And, Of course,
the whole prestige OF Europe III the
Near East and North Africa was In
volved. M0reover. since F.raNce was
lin trouble iii Morocco and s.ysria and
Britain III Egypt. the importance of
1.-The Mosui dispute was greatly In