TURKEY’S FUTURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10525, 28 February 1920, Page 7

TURKEY’S FUTURE

—* t f THE COMMON END RETENTION OF CONSTANTINOPLE? DEBATE IN COMMONS.

By Telesraph—Prss= r Association—Copy rigbl Australian find Cable Association. LONDON/ February 26.

In the House of Commons the greatest interest was aroused by the debate on the future of Turkey, which arose in the afternoon,.-on the, motion for, .adjournment, the Coalition attaching sufficient importance to it- to send out a Whip. Sir Donald Maclean (Liberal leader) opened the debate, stressing the deep obligation the Empire owed to' India; but declaring that Britain was under no obligation of any kind to the Turks, who entered' the' war without provocation from Britain. He described Constantinople as a cesspool of intrigue, the breeder of war, the' source of massacres and horrors. If'the'Turks "were left to their Constantinople, once again it would bo’tiro "seat? of a world disturbance. ' Mr Lloyd George declared that the Peace Conference had carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages, and considered - all difficulties, obstacles, and perils. After discussing all these the Conference came to the conclusion that on the whole the better course was to retain the Turk at Constantinople “for the achieving of ■ the common end.” THE PREMIER'S SPEECH PLEDGES -NOT DISHONOURED. ~ TURK'S PUNISHED FOR FOLLIES AND GRIMES. ' Atu. and N.2L Cable Assn, and Eeutef. (Received “FchfuiuV* 28/ 12.20 n'.iii.) LONDON, February 26. Referring, in the Turkish debalte jto a couple of his pledges in reference to Turkey with which his opponents*made great play, Mr Lloyd''George declared that the first pledge, namely, ‘ There would he a different porter at the gates of the, Bosphorus,” would ho fulfilled to the letter. (Cheers.) The second pledge was given in .a speech in January. .1918, after full .'consultation, and with ,tho consent of all parties, and stated that the Allies were not fighting to challenge the maintenance of the Turkish Empire, -with the capital at Constantinople subject to the passage of fche Mediterranean and J3,lack Sca/being, Internationalised and .neutralised;. also that Arabia, , Armenia, , Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestinewould b<>. .entitled to recognition-as separate nationalities. The declaration .was. specified, unqualified, and mosE deliberate/-. The .immediate effect was that recruiting went up appreciably. Nearly' half a' million enlisted in India altogether. Britain could not have conquered Turkey without that help, and nothing would damage British power m- Asia, more-than the feeling that they could not trust the British word. (Cheers.)

Proceeding, Mr Lloyd George declared that- when :tho Peace tcrThs were published there no friend of the Turk, if any' we/p left, wly), would • not realise that ""be had been terribly punished for his follies and crimes. He ■would he stripped of more than half his Empire, his capital would be under Allied guns, and he would be deprived ( of his army and navy. The prestige which guardianship gave was important as it affected "the* protection of minorities. Turkey would ho deprived entirely of that 'gWrdif.nsliip. wie forts would be dismantled, and the Turk would nave no troops anywhtere within reach of his gates. The Allies advised the garrisoning of the Dardanelles and, if necessary, the Bosphorus, which coufd bo carried out -with -as > comparatively small force. An-alternative ' to'thatproposal was an >international- Government at Constantinople and the surrounding country, which, .would, be tlic, most- unsatisfactory Government which anyone could clibdtev" " One of the difficulties had been the falling out of Russia and America. He had hoped AmeHtfa might take toe guardianship of the ■ Armenians, ajitieven of Constantinople,' hui America for the moment ’could” be'reckoned out of, any aiTallghmeuitV' 1 ' Discussing* the effect of internationalisation on .the protection oT minorities, the Premier said Sir Donald AlaoLean proposed to remove the Turk from a place where ho could not easily direct massacres to a spot where he could .organise them without wquid be to the greater safety of every ■ Armenian if he know he ITiid’the protection of the British Fleet. It the 6ultan lived at K.ovioh he would be surrounded by a fanatical population without knowledge of the outside world. The Allies had. deprived the Turk of the guardianship of the road to the Black Sea which gave him real authority in the-coun-cils of the world. They had also taken every precaution to sec that the minorities, who suifolfcfP td 'bkfdr’ly'hU'thc past, had every protefcfion, not' of the interchange of notes, but that which is derivable, from the knowledge that those who had been persecuting them should bo sighing their decree under the menace of British, French.and Italian guns. (Cheers), , MOSLEMS' RIGHTS, : - - PLEA FOR SELF-DETERMINATION. (Reuter's TcXc-sramA February 2§. , , The Labour partyls statement in reply to tho Indian ARsleme...points out that the Khaliphat of the Osmanli Turks is npt_ rest of th© Mohammedan world, arufas the question is a religious on© it should bo settled by tho Moslems. The reply distinguishes between the various races formerly under Turkish rule, and urges that tho principle of self-determination should ho applied where possible; The internationalisation of the 'Dardanelles and Bosphorus’ik-’fayoured/'ahd the populations of the Syrian districts, Palestine, and M'esOpdtaima should be consulted as to whether they, desire the restoration of .Ottbiiian.sovereignty, .unconditional -independence, or a mandate under tho League of Nations. ' Tho retention of the Turks in Constantinople ivas prged by a deputation of Mussulmans and Hindus which intcr--viewed the Viceroy last January m reference to tho Khaliphat. In his reply; tho Viceroy pointed out that the views of the Indian Moslems were placed before the Paris Conference by 'the Indian representatives. The Vieerov reaffirmed thatVHm'KKjjnipligt. tyas Juquestion for the'Mohammedans alone, but he

feared that the deputation’s contention' for the preserration of the full integrity of the Sovereignty of Turkey might not be recognised by the Allies. The deputation subsequently issued a statement declaring that the Peace terms wore unfavourable to the Moslem religion, and placed an undue strain on Moslem loyalty, and demanding that the holv places of Islam should bo retained under the Khalipb, subject to ' guarantees for the self-government of Arabia. A deputation of Moslems from Judia reached Venice this week on its way to London to lay the Moslem views on the Khaliphal before the Supremo Council. The delegates claim to represent seventy millions of Indian Mussulmans. They strongly urge that the, Turks should bo allowed to retain Constantinople, otherwise they forecast grave trouble far India. * '