Evening star., 1931-12-06

VIENNA, Austria.-The most inter-
esting recent development In Eastern
Europe has been a new and peaceful
bid for power in international affairs
by Turkey, following the second Balkan
conference just concluded in Istanbul.
The Terrible Turk" is being tanned
at last Turkey, long the bad man of
the Balkans, is going out OF its way
these DAYS to take the lead in new ad-
tustments of Balkan affairs, and is Wig
orously committed to prepare the
grounds for future Balkan union. Hav-
Ing lost the Balkans by war, Turkey
seems trying to get them back by peace.
Immediately after the Balkan con-
ference M Litvinoff, the Russian for
eign minister, arrived in Turkey for
an important series of negotiations,
which eliminated in the extension for
five years of the present Turco-Sov1et
friendship treaty.
Greece and Turkey Friends.
Turkey already has waved the olive
branch at Greece, and the recent meet
ing of Ismet Pasha and M. VenlZelos,
the Turkish and Greek prime ministers,
in Athens put the seal on the new
found Greco-Turkish friendship.
The Turks have just taken another
forward step-the recognition of King
Zog's regime in Albania. The reason
why recognition was so long withheld
is obscure There have been rumors
of personal bad feeling beteween Zog
and Mustapha Kemal PaSha, the Tur-
kish dictator. But officially this is now
of the past, If it ever existed, and nor
NAL diplomatic relations between Tur
KEY and Albania have begun.
Greece, in the old days, was always
The first of the traditional enemies of
Turkey; Bulgaria was next. So having
launched a friendly entente with
Greece, Turksy has turned now TO Bull
garia. The new Bulgar premier, M.
Mouschanoff, has been invited on a
state visit to Ankara. He has accepted.
Thus the world moves. BulgarS and
Turks officially slipping coffee tcgether
in the Turkish capital, while signing
what will no doubt be an amity treaty
on the Greco-Turkish model This is
something to make old Balkan heads
turn with incredulity.
Conference Results Meager.
The results of the Balkan confer
ence were meager in practical details,
but perhaps significant from the point
OF view of atmosphere.
The conference was unofficial, but
the Turks did everything they could
to make it as formal as possible, and
1smet Pasha, the veteran prime min
lister, received the delegates as host.
He stood in the same room in YDdiz
Palace where only 20-odd years age
Sultan Abdul Hamid and his successors
did their utmost to prosecute and sub
jugate the representatives Of the same
countries. And Keulal Pasha himself
concluded the conference with speech
in Ankara
The conference Immediately fell
afoul of the minorities issue. The Bull
gars complain bitterly of the treat
ment given to their Macedonian ma
tionals by the Jugoslavs. II Turkey
wants genuinely TO be Balkan peace
maker, this is the first great dispute
which 1t must try TO mediate.
The six Balkan countries at the con.
ference fell, according TO the Londor
Times, In three groups. Jugoslavis
and Rumania, the biggest and ths
nearest to Europe, had a big-brothe1
air, perhaps not entirely friendly. The,
were inclined to be a bit condescending
Albania and Bulgaria were the tw'
countries with outstanding grievances
They lost by the peace treaties ant
their minorities are suffering. Greco
and Turkey, finally, are mere or les
neutral and, having made friendship
pact between themselves, are working
for general peace among the others.
The fact that M. Litvinoff's visi
Immediately followed the Balkan con