Evening star., 1941-07-12
Syrian Fighting
Stopped; Truce
IsDiscussed
Dentz Negotiating
On British Terms,
Cairo Declares
BY the Associated Press.


Fighting stopped in Syria today
and British and French military au-
thorities in the inundated territory
began discussion of armistice terms
under a flag of truce.
Allied forces have been under Or
ders to cease firing in Syria since
last midnight after the French COM
mander in chief, Gen. Henri Dentz,
agreed to negotiate ION our terms,
the British Near East general head
quarters announced today in Cairo.
Dentz Negotiates Directly.
It was officially announced In
Beirut. Lebanon, which the British
have besieged for weeks, that Gen.
Dentz had entered into direct nego-
tiations with the British looking
toward an armistice after the re-
fusal of the French government to
accept British terms.
A French delegation left Beirut
this morning to meet British au-
thorities and negotiate conditions OF
a settlement.
When the French delegation left
for the British headquarters, the
war had swept to within five miles
of Beirut. Communications with
France had grown increasingly diff
ficult because the main radio sta
ton. in a Beirut suburb, was in no.
man 's-land and had been silent for
several days.
Lines of wounded were being
brought into Beirut, many being
taken to their own homes TO be
treated.
Gen. Dentz acted as soon as he
received word from Vichy that the
11-point British armistice terms had
been turned down by the govern
ment. In declaring the terms unac-
ceptable, Vichy left Gen. Dentz free
to negotiate an armlstice If he
thought it essential from the mil
itarv standpoint.
Dispatches from Jerusalem re-
ported that the Vichy French dele
CATION crossed the British lines this
morning.
The Jerusalem source said the
Vichy delegation was told to meet
an Allied delegation at a designated
spot and that presumably the meet
ing occurred according TO schedule.
1t was said that nothing could
be stated now about the terms. but
that the discussions were of military
and not of political significance.
The negotiations for truce went
forward yesterday, it was said, after
communications had been re-estab-
ished through the United States
Consulate in Beirut.
Arrangements then were made for
a cease-fire order, and the two dele
cations met on the Beirut-Haifa
road
Month-Old Battle Over.
The conflicr between the two for
mer allies, British and French, thus
appeared ended after little more
than a month of battle
The British, with their Free
French allies, crossed the Syrian and
Lebanon frontiers on Sunday morn
ing. June o. from Palestine and
Trans-Jordan. A few days later In
dian motorized columns advanced
from the east fr1rn Ilaq.
The British and Free French pref
aced their invasion by declaring
they were acting to forestall use OF
the French-manoated territories as
a military base for Nazi and Fascist
air forces and troops.
The British disclaimed any terri
torial designs by supporting Free
French proclamation promising the
Syrians independence.
More than 1.5OO men of the Brit
ish and Allied forces have been
killed or wounded during the con-
f1ict, the British have announced.
A hospital ship taking badly
wounded French soldiers home from
Syria was met with official cere-
mony at Bizerte, Tunisia.
The number of wounded aboard
was not disclosed They were taken
to a naval hospital for removal later
to France.