TURKEY'S STAND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 145, 21 June 1941, Page 7

TURKEY'S STAND

| BRITAIN ASSURED Wi " German Troops To p ass tnifed Association.-,;^,, 11 - 3 ° a - m - ANKARA, June 20 Ambassadorf Sir Hufhn V^ C Br.Ush Hughessen. that Tinil, LnatchbullPermit the passaJofrL W,H ne ver !or war materials aL Gerir L an tr °ops tory. it jc f. ®, aci " oss her terriSaracoglu said hp °, d . that British Embassv Lt? glvo tho to this effect y wntten assurances 1 KnatchbulhWughessen VCd -f "i Hu She says a thf S Anka C r e a ° f T ' the "Daily'Telegraph''' eSp ° ndent of friendship "with Germanv re " ewin 8 remaining neutral in the eomni Hons centring around Turkey. ' We will not be an instrument nf no? r will°Tu a rfe inSt OUr ally Britain . nor win Turkey act in any wav inl manv 3 Thf T friend ship to Germany. fhib does not spell a change in our national policy. We have RjTtai n in disagreement with B-ntain over our policy of preventing the spread of the war to our zone of security, and the fact that Turkev disagreement with Gcrmanv over defending this policv can onlv constitute for Britain a feeling of ease concerning the security of the zone with which she is concerned." It is understood that Turkey's refusal to sign the treatv unless a clause was included safeguarding her treaty with Britain, caused a long delay m the negotiations. Finally Berlin urgently instructed von Papeii to sign as speedily as possible, even if the clause were included. Von Papen's mien after he initialled the pact was scarcely that of a successful diplomat pulling off a piece of work which German propaganda could hail as a triumph for the Reich, but rather that of a dissatisfied, disgruntled and tired man who fully realised that Turkish 1 policy would remain as formerly— alliance with Britain and the desire to avoid being forced into the war.