Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, JUNE 2, 1941 REVOLT IN IRAQ ENDED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 154, 2 June 1941, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, JUNE 2, 1941 REVOLT IN IRAQ ENDED.

Fomj.v n-.h by Avis intrigu*. the •revolt of Jtrj .-/j ifl A!i against ifritain in Iraq ha - f-r.'i‘-b. f;~ outbreak was evjrlen <<■ that. , Nazi plan- for an attack on j Jin'tjNJj power in the Middle Fast : bad conceived on a scale ; much laro'.j- than was at first bejlieved. liaq j.-. one of .several (Aran countries •in which Nazi

a gCJi t.~. ill) VC been UiO.'t, active 1 here they subsidised ambitious ;jrj'i discontented army officers, and though tlje-e agents. or tour J St*. a- iiltjfr’h chief SUtel 1t ties prefer t.o call them, wore evpe]]cr| on the outbreak of the war ftal tans carried on under the instruo lion.-, of the (iorman .Minister in Bagdad. Rashid Aliks assurnp lion of power was tin: first. important suceess of this Axis intrigue, and it. ba.s involved tin; British (iovernrnent in .strong measures wbieh it. would rather not. have bad to undertake. But ihe Krnpire’s pre-tine was at. stake atnl Urif.iiin did not hesitate. Actually. the Irapian leader acted prematurely, for he believed that (Jeniiiiii !ie Ij > was at hand, whereas the Nazis were being held :it bay when they expected to be sweeping down through the; Aegean Sea fo Syria and then *o Imp. Again, the remarkable defence of' Crete in flu* face of flic most formidable Nazi forces brought by air has been a supreine factor' in tlie crushing of the rebellion, for it has proved to the [ruffians that Britain is determined to only yield territory ;il the greatest cost. With tin; Riit.i.sb forces closing in on liny-dad. Rashid Alt has tomcJ it. expedient, lo tlce to Iren, in company with loading advisers. At the same time he has counselled his troops to lay down their arms. The weakness of the Iraqiaii air force made the self-appointed dictator’s task one of supreme difficulty, and his inability to summon Arab tribes to his help, as well as the Nazis’ poor support and destructive treatment at. the R.A.k. si hands, added to his trials. The immediate future of Iraq under t lie* Regent who laid to leave when Rashid Ali stayed bis roup d’etat, and who enjoys the conlidnnce of the Arab world, promises happier relations with (treat. Britain , and determination to resist; Nazi encroachment. Mr Mden’s words to the Arabs must, strengthen the ties of friendship with litis race which | knows that Britain is its friend. Admitting the great strides made since the end of the last war, lie urges the fullest support for the Arab people in their (jiiest for unity. Britain’s friendliest interest iri Iraq, which led to this State’s admission to the League of Nations as an honoured member, is a complete answer (ft Nazi i intrigue which good Arabs rightly! resent. I