Evening star., 1943-11-29
France Yields in Lebanon


The French Committee of Ma
tional Liberation at Algiers, acting
through it's special representative,
General Catroux, has released and
restored to Office the President and
Ministers of the Lebanese Republic
and has abrogated the DEGREES issued
earlier this month which suspended
the Lebanese constitution, dissolved
its Parliament and named a hand
picked government resting on
French bayonets and virtual mar
tial law.
This is a complete backdown from
the rash action which affronted
Arab nationalism everywhere and
threatened to provoke major crisis
throughout the Near and Middle
East. The outcome was due to in
siStent British pressure on the Al
giers regime, seconded by American
diplomacy. Anglo American soil
darity on this issue is revealed by
the State Departments announce
ment approving the French COM
mittee's action, which the depart
ment calls step toward the inde-
pendence of the Arab countries
contemplated in the Class A League
mandates created there after their
liberation from Turkish rule in the
last war. Britain has long since
terminated its mandate over Iraq,
Which is now a sovereign state and
a member of the League of Nations.
The indications are that both Leb-
anon and Syria will attain their in
dependence in the near future. The
best that the French can expect is
treaties with the new states safe
guarding Frances. special interests,
such as Britain has with Iraq and
Egypt.
The unfortunate aspect is that
this will come about through the
combined action of Arab national
ism and Anglo-American diplomatic
pressure exerted upon the French
In their hour of weakness. But the
French are largely to blame for this
situation. There can be scant doubt
that they hoped to control Syria
and the Lebanon indefinitely. The
whole history of the French man.
date has been one of continuous
French efforts to divide and repress
the rising tide of Arab nationalism
expressing itself in chronic unrest
and agitation punctuated by revolts
put down with considerable blood
shed. The French have been prom
ising the Lebanese and Syrians in
dependence for nearly decade, but
those promises always were coupled
with legalistic delays like those now
set forth by the Algiers committee,
which asserts that it cannot alien
ate French territory and that any
action must be ratified by the
HSoSoS VI 1\dtAollo, WIllCll lids VIZ
tually ceased to exist. Such legal
isms are a frail barrier against the
sweep of dynamic forces that must
be realistically faced and dealt with
promptly. London and Washington
realize this, and they have told the
Algiers committee plainly that, un-
less it yielded, drastic action in
Lebanon would have to be taken.
The present concessions are prob
ably only the first of series. In
themselves, they neither solve the
problem nor even temporarily sta
bilize the situation. The restored
Lebanese government and Parlia-
ment, aglow with victory, backed by
the whole Arab world and assured
of Anglo-American diplomatic be-
nevolence, presumably will assert
the validity of those independence
DEGREES which provoked the French
breakdown of three weeks ago. And
it is a logical presumption that the
Syrian government and Legislature
will move in the same direction.
Oriental peoples respect only power
and are quick to take advantage of
weakness. The French have lost
"face" and cannot regain it without
inviting a new crisis, which Britain
cannot tolerate and which will be
injurious to American interests. The
best way out would seem to be a
frank yielding to Lebanese and
Syrian demands for practical indie
pendence, with no more attempts
to set up legalisms to delay the
inevitable.
AS already remarked, the whole
affair is most unfortunate from
many aspects. But the Algiers
committee precipitated the crisis by
its unwise action, and the results