BRITAIN'S AIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 227, 25 September 1922, Page 5

BRITAIN'S AIM.

TO PREVENT WAR SPREADING.! I | | PREMIER'S STATEMENTJ — | FREEDOM OF THE STRAITS. ! CONTROLLED BY LEAGUE. i I I ! I ißj- Cat le. -I'rcss Association.— Copyright.)' I LONDON. September 2;;. '. , Mr. Lloyd George summoned representatives of the newspapers to No. 10, i Downing Street, to-day. when he made a statement on the Near Hast situation. | lie said he thought it desirable, in view of t Iv misapprehension of the character of the difficulties in the Near East, to stale tho actual facts of the position. i Any action the Government had taken : was not concerned with the merits or [demerits of the dispute between <'recce 'and Turkey, which was a matter for 'determination by a. conference between '.the Allies and the belligerents. The proisenl action was (Met a ted by two supreme i considerations, I 'I'he first, was our iinXTCly regarding the freedom of th ( . seas between the ■ .Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The jolosing of tlie Straits by a Power which I owtsd more to Britain and France than Ito any other two Powers was an act of j perfidy, which was directly responsible j for tin- collapse of Rumania, our mosi i .powerful ally in that quarter of tho and had the effect of prolonging jthe war at lea*.l two years. It was an ; essential condition of tho world's peace that there should be an effective guaran- ! tco of the freedom of those seas in 'future. If peace were signed without the I achievement of that object, it would I>equivalent to a defeat. [ WAR ANti THE BALKANS. Britain was taking no separate action, but simply carrying out what was agreed upon by the. Allies in ISMS. Her chief object, then and now, was t" prevent an exceptionally horrible war from spreadI into Europe. Jf mi army which could not be restrained by it* rhie.f. from perpetrating the outrage committed at j Smyrna was permitted to cross into . Europe, the naticnals there had every ■reason to fear a repetition of these terrible incident-:. If the war spread to !Thrace, where national rivalries between : Turks and (irecks existed, and where I there were Serb« and Bulgarians, there 'might be a conflagration which would I : ipread a fire not easily extinguishablo. It must not be forgotten that the Greal j War began in the Balkans. The war in \ Asia Minor niu-l not spread to Europe. j Britain had. therefore, strengthened her .position at the Dardanelles and tlie Bo?----1 phorus iv order to maintnin the freedom lo:' the Straits, and prevent the spread of 'the lire which devastated Asia Minor, i They did not want the fire fo cross the narrow seas and light the dry tinder" jin the Balkan. ! Ihnphasisitig British impartiality, the ; l'riinc Minister .-aid tiiat General liarjingti.ii -out. .Musfaplia Kemal the same 'proclamation as ho pave to the Greeks t sonic time ago. when they brought up a divi-ioti in order to cru«_ the Chatildja linos hold by the French, Although the ,| Greek move would have been a formidable counter-stroke to the Turkish I menace at Smyrna, the Greeks would 'have hnd to cross the neutral zone. The 'British Commander-in-Chief of the Allied force--, therefore, warned the Greeks in j identically (he same terms as he now warned Musiapha Kemal. British troops wore moved „p to the Chataidja lines to j support ihe French. It was suggested .[thai Britain was provoking a conflict by i continuing lo occupy Ghana!.. Military experts were of the opinion that the continued occupation of Chanak was ; essential to maintain the freedom of (he ' Straits. i LIFE AND DEATH MATTER. 1 -We do not wish to hold flallipoli or ■ Chanak hi the interests of the British Umpire," said Mr. Lloyd George. "We 'do not claim that Britain alone should base tho responsibility of controlling this area. We believe these important ' shores should bo hold under the League iof Nations in the interests of all nations .alike." The freedom of the Straits was a matter of life and death to Rumania. • and equally so to Russia. The Turks in Asia Mirior were responsible in 1914 and in the early months of .101.-i for 1.500,000 deaths of Christians. Ihero was no provocation, no rising against Turkish rule. It Mas a wanton. ' cold-blooded massacre. The Allies felt .themselves obliged, in IMS. to ensure : that there should be no recurrence of I those murders. For that reason man- | .dales were introduced. The Greeks, who had tlie mandates for South-eastern . Anatolia, exchanged V. Yonuelos for ; Constantino. The sequel was tho severest ■criticism of their choice. Britain would do her best to obtain an immediate peace conference of all tiic Bowers to avert war. which bo regarded as a calamity. !| Before ihe army which left Smyrna it _ i''cap ot' ruins was permitted lo cross to I Europe, peace must bo established. I RIGHTS OF THE DOMINIONS. An appeal was addressed to Australia innd New Zealand because they had a j special interest in the defence of Galliipoli. They had sacrificed thousands of ; ihojr most heroic sons in order to achieve . the freedom of the Straits. The Govern- . ment felt that when tha. freedom was i challenged Australia and New Zealand . | hud a rijzht to associate themselves with 'any action taken to maintain what it • bnd cost them so much to achieve. | "Whatever happens at tho peace con- | i foi-enee," concluded Mr. Lloyd George. f , "we shall not abandon the policy of ! securing the freedom of the Straits." T do not moan securing it by a treaty depending on the caprice of any Government there may be at Constantinople iWe had the promise of thp freedom nf the Strait-, before lfll-4. hut German intrisues overcame, not merely the promiser-, but also the real Turkish inter--1 est?. The future security, therefore, . , must bo reliable and effective." -(A and t .N.Z. Cable.l . i ,