Evening star., 1946-08-11
New Turkish Premier
Keeps Army Modified
In Dispute With Reds
BY H. R. Knickerbocker
North American Newspaper Ai,ionee

ANKARA, Aug. 1o.-Recep Peker,
new Prime Minister of Turkey, won't
attempt to appease Russia by act or
gesture, but. instead will keep Tur-
keys armed forces mobilized at their
present strength to support an un-
qualified rejection of Russia's de-
mands for Turkish territory. Peker's
exclusive statement to me is his first
public declaration of Turkish policy
since forming his new government
and contains the answer to the most
important question the world could
put to the first Prime Minister of the
new two-party Parliament:
will there be any change in the
relations between Turkey and Rus
sia which have been tense since last
December when Moscow let it be
known it wanted to add the Eastern
Turkish provinces of Kars, Ardahan
and Artvin to the Soviet Armenian
Republic and would not be satisfied
with any solution of the Darda-
nelles question which did not give
Russia the privilege of maintaining
a fortress of her own there?"
"The new governments attitude
on these points" said Peker, 'is ex-
actly the same as that of the for
mer government. This is dry state
ment but I am not issuing sentiment
tai declarations. Merely say that we
are going to follow the same policy
as previous governments because
that is not party policy, it is national
policy"
Policy Unchanged.
The Prime Minister thus under
lined his intention of following the
line of outgoing Prime Minister
Shukru Saracoglu and of President
Ismet Tnonu, under whose leader
ship Turkey became the only coun-
try neighboring on Soviet Russia
which stood unyielding against all
Soviet demands.
During the election campaign
which just ended Moscow did not
conceal the hope that the new Turk
1sh government would be more
amenable than the last, but Peker
is not amenable. He saw no prospect
soon Of being able to demobilize the
army and do away with the state of
siege or martial law which prevails
in the eastern provinces and also to
a limited extent in Istanbul and
areas of the Dardanelles and
Thrace.
Il should regard such demobiliza-
tlon as dangerous to the security of
the country so long as conditions
which made mobilization necessary
do not disappear" said the Premier.
Big Army Favored.
Many Turks are convinced that
only an army upward of 750 900
stands between them and the fate
which overlook Poland. There was
an acute feeling during the Rus
san occupation of Azerbaijan that
the aiertness of the United Nations
security Council and public opinion
In Britain and the United States
helped to prevent the Russians from
marching into Turkey with the in
tentlon OF seizing the Dardanelles
but that this alertness would have
been OF no avail without mobilized
Turkish Army.
Peker's massive figure and imper-
turable manner equip him well for
the war OF nerves which the Turks
oeneVe Russia is unlikely to cease
waging. Her campaign compels the
turkish government to spend more
than half her income on her armv
ana keep from productive work hun
dreds OF thousands of soldiers
General dissatisfaction with Sara
coglus failure to alleviate economic
olmculties caused in part by the
chronic Russian crisis, was respon-
slpie Tor his not continuing in Office
Inc resignation of the Turkish cabi-
net was not sudden, but a routine
process upon the convening of par
Lament. - "