UNREST IN SYRIA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 192, 28 May 1945, Page 3

UNREST IN SYRIA

WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. OUTBREAK OF VIOLENCE FEARED DAMASCUS READY FOR BATTLE. (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, jVlay 26. The ill-feeling between the Syrians and French threatens to explode into violence at any moment, reports the Damascus correspondent of the Associated American Press. All the shops in Damascus are closed. Taxi and lorry drivers have joined the general strike. The French are not sate on the streets, and they are keeping out of sight. Many families are leaving the city and moving into tiie main barracks although there is no official evacuation. - The Syrian Chamber to-day convoked an extraordinary session. General Sir Bernard Paget is reported at present to lie conferring with Janiil Mardam Bey, Syrian Foreign Minister. Meanwhile the Syrians are proceeding witli warlike preparations. In tiie event of failure to reach a peaceful settlement, tiie Syrians are confident that they will receive help from the Arab States should hostilities break out, especially from Saudi Arabia, whose King, Ibn Sand, is a close friend of the Syrian President. The French are stopping and searching ail traffic from Iraq in an attempt to prevent arms from crossing the border. Feeling is not so intense in Beirut, where the city is fairly orderly in spite of sporadic strikes. An official statement from the Foreign Office announces that the British Government is aware of the serious situation that lias arisen in the last few days in Syria. The Government regrets that the improved atmosphere should have been made the occasion for breaking off negotiations for a general settlement between the Levant States and the French Government. His Majesty’s Government is in consultation with the United States and French Governments regarding these developments, and- it is earnestlyhoped that no action will be taken in the meantime to prejudice an amic-. able solution of the issues involved. - Damascus is prepared for battle. The Associated Press correspondent in the city reports that both French and Syrians are hastily sand-bagging windows and doorways of all the principal administrative buildings. Uniformed Syrians, without arms, are parading the streets keeping order and preventing isolated incidents growing into major clashes with French Senegalese troops. No Sign of Improvement. The situation in the Levant, where the Syria-Lebanon and French interests are in conflict, shows no sign of improvement, according to Cairo messages. The Arab League of which Egypt, Iraq and Saudi-Arabia are the chief called a meeting of the League Council for June 4. Azam Bey, secretary of the League, is quoted as saying that French-Sene-galese and other troops had adopted a threatening position. They had cut communications between large towns and had stationed themselves at the outlets of those towns. Armoured cars had been grouped at places where they were in prominent view, and machine-guns had been placed on rooftops. After repeating earlier hopes that France would adopt a friendly attitude, Azam Bey said: “The Arab League Council will meet in Cairo in the first week in June (June 4 according to another correspondent). I hope the meeting will find a way to security, peace and human co-operation.”