The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1921. THE GREEK-TURK COMBAT.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 213, 7 September 1921, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1921. THE GREEK-TURK COMBAT.

For the causr that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

Although the Turks (ire making a desperate effort to hold Antjora then, does not seem mach chance of their being able to drive the Greeks back, und lack of food will militate against their ability to remain for long on the defensive. Wero it not for thid the Turka would have a fairly strong position, since they are close to theiF base, while the Greeks are now lighting 813 miles from, their main base at Smyrna, Kemal Pasha has been relying on help from the Soviet Government, but the famine in liussla has necessitated the withdrawal of great stocks of food from Kemal'e rear to the Caucasus to feed the Russian people, and Kemal will have to employ part of his forces to forage for provisions, thug weakening his fighting force and nullifying much of the value which he would otherwise havq obtained from buing near his main base. A decisive victory on tlio part of Greccu would still further complicate a situation that waa full of difficulty when thn fighting began, When the Allies originally drew up the Treaty of Sevres the Greeks took the field against Kemal Pasha more or less as their agent, since the Allies were not in a, position themselvce to spare any troops for a campaign in Asia Minor. But when the Greeks demanded tho return of King Constantine the Allies saw that thero might be some danger of the King pursuing a policy that would eonfllot with the Interests of France and Italy, and they accordingly drew up a freeh troaty more favourable to the Turka, But the Turks would not accept the new terms', while tho Greeks demanded all that tho Troaty of Sevres had given them, Tho Turkldh Government at Constantinople waa ready to accept almost any terms tho Allies choso to offer, but thin Government was superseded in popular favour by tho National Government of Kama] Fasha, which demanded the roHtoratien of Asia Minor to the Turks, France camo to a separato understanding with Kemal under which ho undertook to evacuate Cilicia, and both Franco and Italy gave him passive support, even If they did not actually enpply him with arms as rumour asserted. The Allies refused to allow the Greeks to use tho Marmora ports as bases for their operations, and the Turks achieved considerable Initial success. But the Greeks .poured largo reinforce, ments across the Aegean, and Constantine himseif went to Smyrna and took command of the operations, The Turks suffered a heavy reverse, and lost large quantities of war matprial as well as. 30,000 prisoners, They appealed to the Powers to mediate with the Greeks pn their behalf, but theiF appeal met with no response, The Greeka followed up their victory, until to-day they seem on the evu pf achieving ft decisive result, The question is, what will they do with their victory? How is. any settlement to be arrived at? A defeat of the Nationalists would maim it difficult to regan} Kemal'g Ministry as. the actual Government of Turkey, while.-the Government at Constantinople has loat the eenfldenee of the people. Also the Greeks are likely fco demand more than the Allies are prepared to give. Italy ia. strongly antMJreek, mainly on account of considerations of trade, and France is net sympathetic to Constantine. The Greeks already occupy far more territory than that originally allotted to : them at Sevres, and if they are forced to abandon this they will probably desire 11 velee in the arrangements made albout the Dardanelles and Constants nople, It looks as if British policy would be strengthened fby the Greek successes, while France and Italy will have to acquiesce in Greece obtaining at least as much as she was originally offered under the Sevres treaty. British interests are not likely to be threatened by Greece, while the Turkish Nationalists would always have been a menace if they had obtained ft decisive victory, and thus further strengthened tlieir hold over the Turkish people.