THE CONFERENCE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND RUSSIA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 247, 17 October 1908, Page 4

THE CONFERENCE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND RUSSIA.

TURKEY'S INTERESTS TO BE

SAFEGUARDED

[press association.] (Received Oct. 16, 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 16. The following announcement, agreed upon between Sir Edward Grey and M. Isvolsky, has been issued by the Foreign Office: The exchange ot views between m.. Isvolsky and Sir Edward Grey led to a complete agreement regarding the Near East. They agreed that a conference was necessary, but to ensure success in re-affirming respect for the law' of nations and making reparation those injured, the conference should be limited in scope and deal exclusively with questions arising from violations of the Berlin Treaty. The "first object of the conference should be compensation to Turkey. On this point there seemed to be a general agreement among the Powers. Provision must also be made for effectively strengthening the present regime in Turkey, which afforded the best safeguard for the maintenance of peace. It was likewise hoped that means would be found to meet the reasonable wishes of the smaller Balkan States, but not at Turkey's expense. There was good reason to believe that the Cretan question would be satisfactorily dealt with, although provisionally excluded from the scope of the conference as being in the first instance a question for discussion oetv/een Turkey and the protecting Powers.

It was hoped that the moderation, reasonableness and disinterestedness of these views woul dcommend them to the signatories. It was not intended to submit the question of i)e StraitSjto the conference; it was a question in which Russia and Turkey were primarily concerned. There was no-desire on Russia's part to settle it in any sense hostile to Turkey, or, seek for compensation, inasmuch as Russia entered the conference as on© of the disinterested Powers.

Finally, it was declared that the subjects arising under the AngloRussian Convention had been reviewed, and distiussion proved identity of views between the two Ministers which promised a continuance of the cordial and harmonious cooperation of the two Governments in the settlement of the Central Asian: question.