THE MOSUL DISPUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 22 September 1925, Page 6

THE MOSUL DISPUTE.

Great Britain's desire for a peaceful settlement of disputes has been shown very clearly in the forbearance she has exercised in regard to the Mosul boundary. Under the treaty of peace signed at Lausanne on July 24, 1023, it was agreed that the frontier between Turkey and Iraq was to be laid down by friendly arrangement between Turkey and Great Britain within nine months, and in the event of no agreement being I reached in this time the dispute was to be referred to the Council of the League. In spite of every effort to reach an agreement no decision could be arrived at between the two Powers themselves, and consequently the aid of the Council was invoked. The two Governments presented their case on September 20 of last year, Britain contending that tho whole Mosul vilayet should be included in Iraq, both on economic and racial grounds, and Turkey putting forward claims to the vilayet on ethnographical, political, and historical grounds. The League sent out a special commission, consisting of a Swede, a Hungarian, and a Belgian, to investigate the matter ob the spot. This Commission reported that from tlie point of view of the interests of the population-concerned the disputed territory should go to Iraq, but they recommended an extension of the present mandate for a further period of twenty-five years. Failing this, it favoured assigning tire territory to Turkey as the best means of preventing the Turks taking it by force, as might happen were it assigned to Iraq. This report was not considered very satisfactory, and- a committee was set up to examine the matter again, a Uruguayan being substituted for the Belgian. It was said that the report of this committee would almost certainly favour Britain, and it was generally believed that any decision given by the Council would similarly decide against Turkey. Great Britain expressed her willingness to abide by the decision of the Council whatever that decision might be, but a similar undertaking was not given by Turkey, and the Turks commenced a series of frontier raids. It was probably in order to satisfy Turkey that the Council decided to refer tho matter to the International Court. The first Commission had expressed the opinion that from the legal point of view the disputed territory must be regarded as an integral part of Turkey until that Power renounced her rights. It further said that moral arguments might be advanced on the other side, and it did not feel competent to decide what weight should he given to the legal considerations. The International Court will he able to adjudicate on the legal position as well as tho political, and its decision ought io give tlie fullest satisfaction to the Turks as being impartial, even if that decision goes against their claim.