NEAR EAST PROBLEM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9749, 14 December 1922, Page 5

NEAR EAST PROBLEM

RIGHTS OF MINORITIES.

PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS.

EXCHANGE OB' POPULATIONS. (Per Press Association, Copyright.) LONDON, December 12.

’Lord Curzon, presiding oyer tlie - jir.st commission, invited the conference to approach the question of the protection of minorities.' The Moslem minorities ,in Jtruropean Turkey were also entitled to protection. The League of-. Nations would provide .guarantees to supervise the execution of any agreement reached. . Turkey had already accepted the basic principle of the rights of minorities.. Mr R. W. Child, American representatives at the conference, demanded that the conference should not separate before finding a refuge for v all-the minorities in the Near East. . They must be given guarantees necessary for their full development, and if possible be given the national hearth promised by the Treaty of Sevres. America believed that th© ends to be sought were preventive rather than mere succour to the existing misery. America, would continue to help the minorities. Ismet Pasha, replying to Lord Curzon, objected to a guarantee by the League of Nations as the Powers would continue their interference with Turkey and. incite the minorities to appeal to the League. 0e demanded the-, exclusion of all foreign interference in Turkey. While demanding an exchange of populations, he assured the conference that an/ community staying in Turkey would be assured of security through Turkey’s goodwill and sense of justice. Finally, he demanded mass emigration. Lord GUrzon -replied that an exchange of > populations ,was impossible. Whatever exchange occurred, minorities'' must 'remain. Ismet Pasha’s

;Bpeeeh; would cause disappointment ~.; l ihrougbout the world. He would wait a jtill fo;,:a further. Turkish reply to the Allied proposals. ~. - Ismet Pasha promised be would -. make a detailed reply. V .. ' , Another message: says' -.the Turks have' they ’will not insist on the total ' expulsion of, Greeks from : Cdtista'niiuoplev Several - 1 tfeligi oil s restrictions 'will be imposed 'tin those re-; . maining. A • total; of 350,000 Turks ‘ wiU-deave Macedonia ajad • . afjyr a compijemis© 124,000 Turks will, be^ allowed to stay in Western i Thrace..Mt is generally expected an agreement will be reached regarding the exchange of -‘. populations. - • *; iro ] (Received This Day, 9.5 a.m.) 5 - , ' LAUSANNE, Degergber L 3. Ismet Pasha informed_the Commis.sion that he was willing to let 200,00 U .Greeks remain in Constantinople. .Furthermore, all Greeks who might have to leave Turkey on the system of • exchange would receive' an indemnity. Ismet added that there was no reason why the Armenians should not live m peace in Turkey without foreign interference. Turks, .he said,. would forget ■ the past. As t'o the question of San Armenian tliis be considered was a new attempt to break up Turkey-. 'the latter would not consent to

.Lord Curzon, in reply, said pnless the., Turks changed theij attitude immediately and radically on the minorities question the Christian nations must leave Lausanne and quit the Conference.

FREEDOM 6? THE STRAITS. W; ATTITUDE OF RUSSIA. LAUSANNE,'yDecember 12, Owing to the Allien proposals having increased „the _ numßer of warships allowed to~ enter the Black Sea, the, Russians, say wiU not,.accept the agreement/ afiQrthreateirttd leave the For^he*“ft r gtf' time General Lebedeff and , Admiral Behrens, Russian experts, I 'sat to-day with the Turkish and Allied experts to discuss the freedom of the Straits. Russia, however, was to discuss the proposals subV,.,*nitteAVwithout referring them to ; the t’.othep Soviet delegates. • U'j (At; Tchitchern declared ,he would "' mot 1 s*gn ;) any agreement regarding the Straits - admitting war sLips to the ©lack Sea. If such an agreement was xeaehed, Russia would leave the conference.)

THE GREEK DISASTER.

©RITISH GOVERNMENT’S POLICY

RESPONSIBILITY REPUDIATED.

(Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, December 13. Mr McNeil, replying to a question, •gaid he cojild not accept the suggestion that the late Government s Near East, policy was partly responsible tor •the Greek disaster in Asia Minor, in [view of the British financial stringency the Government was not prepared to incur further expenditure on IbehaTf of refugees who were not ©ritish subjects. .