IRAQ AND SYRIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 November 1931, Page 5

IRAQ AND SYRIA

DEFINING THE FRONTIERS. [bbitish official wibeless.] •RUGBY, November 14. An important communication has been received from the Government of Great Britain and France, asking that the, question of the settlement of frontier boundaries as between Irrq and Syria should be settled by the Council of the League of Nations, The request is published at Geneva. It has been asked that this question should be put on the agenda of the League Council when it meets at Paris on Monday. The communications says the two Governments have encountered difficulties in the settlement of the frontier question between Iraq and Syria and they asked the League to indicate a frontier that the two parties would accept and which would bring a definite solution to the problems. They recommend that a Committee should be appointed by the League, which should study the problem on the spot.

SURRENDER OF MANDATES* (Recd. Nov- 17, 8 a.m.) LONDON, November 16. The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent understands that France is considering .the relinquishment of the Syrian mandate in favour of the creation of an Arab State, whereof Faisal would be king. As Britain is relinquishing the Iraq mandate in September, 1932, French opinion is that a great Iraq-Syrian State, under predominantly French auspices, would enhance French prestige in the Arab modern world, especially if Faisal moved his capital to Damascus from Baghdad. The idea envisages a Franco-Sytian treaty on the lines of the Anglo-Iraq treaty. It would presumably open the way for Britain to demand reciprocal recognl-, tion of her interests in Syria.