Evening star., 1941-06-15
Liquidation Of Mandate Setup
FOreseen in Invasion of Syria
System Never Aroused Much Enthusiasm;
Federation of Arab States May
Follow as Result of Attack
By Felix Morley.

Wher the British, accompanied by
Free French" forces invaded Syria. a
final liquidation of the mandates system,
at least as established by the treaty of
Versailles, was seemingly brought about.
This aspect OF the fighting in Syria Is
not at the moment to the fore. Comment
on the British action has been largely
confined to its military and strategic I'M
plication. The significance of these Is.
OF course, enormous. But other unCon-
sidered, factors are of scarcely less long
range importance.
To appreciate this, one must remember
that the LeVant States, composed Of
Syria and Lebanon, are not French ter
ritory. They compose a inundated area
over which France is empowered to eX-
ercise administrative advice and assist
ance" under the supervision OF the
League or Nations.
Very definite limitations on French
sovereignty are set down in the terms
OF the mandate which, after the close OF
the other war; gave France It's preroga-
tives III Syria. It is there stipulated, tor
instance that: The consent of the Coun-
Gil OF the League OF Nations is required
for any modification OF the terms OF this
mandate"
All this Is not as academic as might,
at first glance, appear. For the collapse
OF the League OF Nations and the estab-
llshment OF the alternative French gov
ernment of Gen. de Gaulle together pro-
vide tenable legal argument for the
invasion now underway.
Not a Successful Experiment.
This argument is strengthened by the
Free French" proclamation promising
the peoples Of Syria and Lebanon that
independence which was always the os-
tenSible aim of the mandate. If events
have Hquidated the mandates system,
the British government has as good a
claim as anybody to determine what
shall take its place, regardless Of whether
Germany would seize Syria if Britain
failed to do so.
definite part OF the picture is the
fact that the Syrian mandate has
throughout been the least successful in
stance OF this political experiment, not
even excluding Palestine, where the
rivalry of Arab and Jew has greatly
added to the normal difficulties OF an
anomalous form Of government.
Somewhat the same racial antagonism;
have beset the French in Syria, for the
coastal district OF Lebanon is predoml-
nantIy Christian and the Syrian interior
strongly Moslem Moreover, at the enc
of the last war, Syria, under the com.
petent leadership Of Emlr FeiSal, hac
actually won independence. with its pop
uIar leader making triumphal entry int
Damascus and raising there the flag o
Arab nationhood.
The decision of the Peace Conference
to make Syria a French mandate was
therefore. strongly protested. 1t was onl.
by force of arms, as a result Of the battl
by which Gen. Goursud captured Da
mascus on July "a, 1920. that the Syrian
government was crushed.
No Loyalty to French There.
In theory, it was laid down that the
wishes of the Syrian people must be 8
principal consideration in the selection
Of the mandatory" In practice, the
French established their mandate in
Syria by military conquest to which
Great Britain gave tacit approval.
Since its conquest by the French
Syria has seethed with unrest. In 1925
and 1926 there vas open rebellion, in
volving the bombardment and destruc-
ton of large parts of Damascus. Shortly
before the present war, moreover, the
recalcitrant district of AleXandretta was
ceded back to the "unspeakable Turks,
its inhabitants welcoming with en-
thusiaSm the termination of French ad-
ministration.
In the past decade the character Of
French control in Syria has improved.
Before the Mandates Commission at
Geneva it was freqently promised that
Syria would gain eventual" independ-
ence. But the power of the French
Army of occupation always has rested or
the fear which it inspired. AS Gen
Weygand fully realizes, there is no sense