AFGHAN INTRIGUES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17753, 12 April 1921, Page 5

AFGHAN INTRIGUES.

AGREEMENT WITH TURKS.

TREATY SIGNED AT MOSCOW. ACCORD IN FOREIGN POLICY. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyrifiht. Reutcr. CONSTANTINOPLE. April 10. The newspapers at Angora, the seat of | the Turkish Nationalist Government, pub- j lish the text of a Turco-Afghan agree- i ment signed at Moscow on March 1. as- . , suring a complete understanding in re- ' . gard to foreign questions. Turkey agrees j to reorganise the Afghan army and to . supply officers and arms. j j AMIR'S DEVIOUS POLICY. i LURE OF THE CALIPHATE. The -1 uncertain and disquieting situation j in Afghanistan was recently reviewed by Mr. Percival Landon, the correspondent of the London Morning Post in India. Mr. Landon pointed out that despite the cordial reception given by the Amir Ama- j nullah to the mission from the Indian Government, under Sir Henry Dobbs, 80l- | shevik representatives were also at KabulSuretz on behalf of the Russian Soviet j Government, and Djemal Pasha, really in i the same capacity, but thinly disguised . as an emissary from Turkey. " There is thus," observed Mr. Landon, " a permanent menace at the Amir's capital, to which the overthrow of Bokhara by the Bolsheviks lends an ugly import- ! ance. Moreover, Amanullah is by no j means free to arrange terms without the j consent of that section of Afghans which ' raised him to the throne in place of his j fanatical uncle Naßrullah. Herein lies the difficulty of the position, for the Af- ! ghans, although defeated in the late war, are passionately determined to preserve the complete independence of Afghanistan, free especially from the old obligation to refer foreign relations to the Indian Government. The treaty which Six Henry. Dobbs is presenting therefore will be scanned with much jealousy by the Afghans, and even the restoration of the much-desired subsidy will not reconcile them to conditions which in any way seem again to place Afghanistan in any subordination to India. " The situation assumes special difficultv because we are anxious to preserve Afghanistan as an effective barrier against I Bolshevism, and because any policy of ; our own which results in the overthrow ; of the existing regime in that country will ' inevitably leave Afghanistan an easy prey to the insidious influences of Moscow, j Already the Soviet can claim no small , i success, as the Commander-in-Chief, Nadir i Khan, is understood to be coquetting with Lenin's agents. On the other hand, . ! Tarzi, the Prime Minister, though not: , inclined to friendliness with India, thor- ; I oughly realises the disaster threatening his I country. The Amir himself has repeated, ! , in a most fervent manner, his determina- I I tion to vindicate the complete independ- ! . ence of Afghanistan, a policy equally im- ' j posed on him by the internal ambitions I ! and deftly abetted from Moscow. For the : : subtlest of all the inducements to admit ' Bolshevism now menacing his northern I frontier is the bait of the Caliphate, ! which has already been suggested to him j jby the ' Unionist' Party of the Turkish I ! National Assembly at Angora. That he j expects this high dignity would be too j ' much to say, but at least he intends to maintain the qualification of independence i i which makes his chance of being selected 'by the new Pan-Islamic movement to supplant the Sultan greater than that of 1 other candidates. On the other hand, | he knows well enough that Afghanistan | depends entirely upon India for its very • existence, and he is anxious to go as far as his proud, jealous, and insubordinate people will let him in the direction of restoring good relations with his southern '. neighbour. Unfortunately, Tarzi Is as i well aware as we that the maintenance of | Amanullah on the throne at the present momeni is the only possible means of preventing chaos and subsequent Bolshevism. " The situation, it will be seen, resembles in a remarkable degree that which confronted us on a greater scale in Turkey, and the le"sson to be drawn from each is the same—that it is wise not to press too severely the privileges of vic- | tory where a conquered enemy is able and | willing to render us considerable servico."