NO BALKAN WAR

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 87, 6 January 1940, Page 12

NO BALKAN WAR

Turkish Foreign Minister’s i Opinion RUSSIA’S ATTITUDE The Turkish Foreign Minister, Mr. Sliukru Saraeoglu, told me that he did not believe there would be a Balkan conflict, writes Jules Sauei'ivein. foreign editor for the Paris newspaper ".Soil’." The youthful appearing enuiieiator of his country’s foreign policy received me in bis spacious offices in one of the central avenues of this capital. When I asked his opinion on the probability of a Balkan war. he replied with a firm "No.” "It would need the connivance of Soviet Russia,” he added. "and I fail to see that Russia would find in it any advantage great enough to justify a war against powers friendly to us in Europe and Asia.” Such words coining from a statesman who had just returned from four weeks’ stay in Moscow certainly have their value. Nevertheless, Mr. Saraeoglu is too much of a realist not to reckon with the rapidity of developments in our era. lie is keenly conscious, too. of the necessity of being prepared for everything. Economic Problems. ''Then economic problems are in the foreground more than polities?” I inquired. "That is it,” lie. replied, "but economics are merely a consequence of polities. We have deliberately chosen the liberal powers as associates not only for political reasons, but also because we would like in some more or less near future to see currencies again unrestricted by exchange control. “We would like to come into a normal trade circuit. We can accomplish this only by substituting, as far as it can be done, for our German trade, formerly up to 50 per cent, of our total foreign commerce, British and French trade. "Some mouths ago we began pourparlers with Germany for renewal of the trade treaty about to expire. The Germans did not appear to be in a hurry. They thought that, with the approaching harvest, we would be more likely to ‘listen to reason.’ Behind Schedule. "They delivered their goods much Jiehind schedule. They pretended our exports of tobacco, figs, grapes and nuts were all jn the luxury category. They had no negotiator available. On the very eve of the expiration of the treaty they asked for a month's prolongation to give them time to negotiate a new treaty.

"Just then the war broke out. I refused blankly for the reason that Germany, being at war. would have bad a perfectly good excuse not to deliver anything, while Turkey, being at peace, would have been obliged to carry out her obligations. "We have never got beyond this stage. "Meanwhile our negotiations will) France and Britain went ahead. They would gladly buy from us some of our products such as coal, wool, cotton and metals, particularly chrome. Also the United states wants 50.000 tons of iliac metal. France would like large monthly shipments, and Britain is ready to absorb the balance of our chrome production. "Ou the other hand our peasants want to lind an outlet for their products that I have mentioned, and as ligs and nuts particularly are more nourishing than cereals it will be easy to find markets for them in the Allied countries. "Our collaboration with the Allies grows every day. We are not overlooking a single possibility to extend it further.”