Evening star., 1945-06-03
General Rejects
Churchill Plan for
3-Power Meetino
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, June 2.-Gen. Charlie.
de Gaulle today charged thar
Syrians who fought the French
carried arms furnished by the
British" and suggested that s
four-poWer conference including
Russia negotiate the question "o1
the whole Arab world"-an area
where British interests predomi-
nate.
When asked to give the names Of
the "crowd" of British agents which
he said precipitated the Syrian anc
Lebanese uprising, Gen. de Gaulle
said every one knows their names
and I would blush to give them te
you"
I'VE must finish with 'diktats' and
crisis" said the French leader in
outlining the French side of the
Levant dispute which has found the
Syrians and Lebanese refusing tt
negotiate with the French because
of French wishes for concessions In
their homelands.
1T would be a most monstrous
absurdity," Gen. de Gaulle said, "if
having ended the war against Ger.
many, we Should find ourselves con-
fronted by bloody incidents between
the Allies"
Tells of Previous Clashes.
Gen. de Gaulle told of French
British political and economic
clashes In the Middle East dating
from the World War and clearly
indicated his refusal to submit the
Middle East problem to a tripartite
meeting of France, Britain and the
United States, as proposed by Prime
Minister Churchill three days ago
He declared Mr.. Churchill's mes
sage will change nothing" adding
L haven't thought it necessary to
reply to this message"
Reminding his listeners at press
conference that Russia has interests
in the Middle East, Gen. de Gaulle
said:
There are many who are inter-
ested in this question. First of all
there are the Big Four-France,
Britain, the United States and
Soviet Russia. And there are also
the Arab states.
These constitute a group. If they
want to settle the question in q
normal manner-and I hope peace
ahly-they must consider it all to-
gether and not from the point of
view of stupid rivalry"
Wants Military Bases.
Gen. de Gaulle said France was
entitled to military bases the same
as Britain and the United States
and charged that the British atti-
tude" in the Middle East was one
reason for Frances inability to give
full independence to Syria and
Lebanon.
Gen. de Gaulle indicated his will
lingness to submit the explosive
question to international discussion
providing Russia was invited to par
ticipate and "the question of the
whole Arab world, including Egypt
Iran, Palestine and others" was
discussed.
(Most of the Arab, countries,
which have formed a Pan-Arab
League and have indicated their
willingness to back Syrian-Leb-
anese demands for independence,
form a rich reservoir of oil and
also are in militarily strategic
position at the crossroads of the
world.)
Gen. de Gaulle said he had in
vited the correspondents to the con-
ference to give them a background
on IAN international crisis" about
which there have been spread such
a great number of false or ten
dentious reports"
Influence in Middle East.
He told of Frances spiritual
moral and intellectual influence" in
the Middle East and spoke of Brit
aims "other interests, more espe-
cially commercial
He said France and Britain had
been in difficulties with each other
ever since the World War when they
received League of Nations man.
dates in the Middle East. "And
they are far from being ended" he
added.
Gen. de Gaulle said he had signed
an agreement with the British July
%, 194l, in order to avoid friction in
the Levant between the two ma.
tions.
I'm this agreement it was par.
ticularly stipulated that France
should exercise in Syria and Leba.
non the same powers that she hao
always exercised =" he said
AT the same time France pro.
claimed the independence of Syris
and Lebanon and declared
herself ready to negotiate with then
the practical conditions that these
two states would exercise in thi!
1llOCPClluCllCC
Gen. de Gaulle then declared thai
France, during the critical German
drive in North Africa, had with.
drawn all except 1000 or 5000 o.
her troops from the Levant ane
sent them to the new danger zone
while the British had kept 600, ,00t
men in the Levant.
Gen. de Gaulle claimed tina
French government orders haltet
the recent fighting in Syria ever
before Mr.. Churchill's Statement
three days ago announcing British
Intervention was delivered to tn
French leader.
In his answer to question as tt
whether he was prepared to submit
(See DE GAULLE, Page A-4)
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