BREACH OF FAITH ?

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11960, 15 October 1924, Page 8

BREACH OF FAITH ?

TURKEY ACCUSES BRITAIN. PROTEST TO LEAGUE. Reuter’s Telegram. (Received. October 14, 7.30 p.m.) GENEVA, Ortobei 13. The Turkish Government has telegraphed to the Council of the League of Nations, recapitulating the correspondence with Britain relative to Iraq, and claiming that Turkey is respecting the position as it existed cn September 30th, in accordance with the agreement reached at the Geneva. Conference, whereas Britain is insisting on the demands she advanced in her earlier Note, and is violating her Geneva undertaking. The Turkish Government adds: “if Britain, disregarding her undertaking, disturbs peace, and commits acts of aggression, the responsibility; ( is entire ly hers.” . Turkey requests the Council of the League to adopt measures to compel respect for the decision of the Council. HISTORY OF DISPUTE LARGE TERRITORY AT STAKE. Iraq, a political division of Mesopo-tamia,'-was conquered during the war, and at the Versailles Conference it was recognised as an independent State, to he placed under a Mandatory Power. Britain received the mandate, and in 1921, after a plebiscite of the people, the Emir Feisul, (third son of Hussein, who recently was foroed from the throne' of the Hedjaz, in Mecca, was proclaimed Kang. Iraq has an area of 143,250 square miles, and of this area tho district or vilayet of Mosul forms approximately one-fourth. The district, it may be mentioned, contains valuable petroleum wells, which are situated at Qaiyarah, oloee to the town of Mosul. Turkey has long laid claim to Mosul, and many conferences have achieved only an appreciation of the almost insuperable difficulty of reaching an agreement with Britain. The Lausanne Treaty of 1923 left the dispute unsettled, and in May of this year another oonferenoe, held at Constantinople, found the parties as far apart as ever. The Turks based their claim to Mosul on ethnological and geographical grounds,, and claimed the whole vilayet. The British considered that the territory should be retained by Iraq. BEFORE THE LEAGUE.

Last month the dispute was debated by the League of Nations. The Turks urged that a plebiscite be taken to settle the future of the disputed territory. The British replied that a plebiscite was impossible owing to the nomadic character of the population. They contended that Britain could not return Mosul to Turkey, as a pledge had been given to Iraq, and, further, that Iraq was entrusted to Britain by the League, which alone could modify the mandate. The League set up a commisison to investigate the position. THE INVASION. On September 22nd Turkish troops

invaded. Iraq from the north, caimo into conflict with native British levies, under British officers, and, it is report-" ed, lost 50 men killed. The British forces retired, and British bombing ’planes held up the Turks’ advance. Another raid, two days later, had a similar result. The situation at present appears to be that the Turks are still within the Iraq .boundary, and that they have burned villages, and both sides have established lines. In the meantime the usual diplomatic interchanges have taken place. To the British protest the Turks, after considerable delay, replied, denying that its troops were making incursions, and offering not to advance beyond a certain line, which line, however, marks the extreme point of their incursion, SOLEMN UNDERTAKINGS. At the League Council meeting on September 30th Lord Parmoor said that fresh information showed that the frontier situation was precarious. He emphasised that there must be no disturbance, and gave a solemn undertaking on behalf of tbe British Government on that point. Fcthi Bey gave a similar assurance for Turkey. It was announced that both parti re would share the cost of investigation by a special committee.