THE WRANGLE FOR SYRIA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 13903, 3 November 1919, Page 2

THE WRANGLE FOR SYRIA.

(By A. Diplomat.) The French newspapers are making trouble, about Syria. They are accusing "the British authorities of promoting /-ynitv-Frencli propagnnda among tho Arabs. The ciuostion at issue is whether the British, who have the •'mandate"' for Arabia, should also have the "mandate'' for Syria, which is part of Arabia, or whether Syria should be answered for by the French. A parallel situation would arise if Italy had the "mandate" for all England while Spain claimed the "mandate" for Liverpool and Manchester. Mei'oiv the war the Arabs were merely a conglomeration of tribes, nominally under Turkish suzerainty, but actually governed by nobody. They consistently rebelled against the Turk, and equally consistently fought- among ihemselves. The Arabs never admitted that the Turk was their overlord, and when war broke out the Arab national party invited British advice and assistance. With our help the Arabs of Arabia were welded into a coherent nation. Prince Hussein, a direct descendant of the Prophet, was by popular consent acclaimed King of the lledjnz. and little by little the progress of the reorganisation of the Arab nation became effective. The first thing was to drive the Turkish German forces out of Arabia. The Arabs were brave warriors, but bad soldiers. Mediaeval methods of warfare \wro no good against the Turk. To-day the Arab army is properly equipped and efficiently officered.- Colonel Lawrence and his corps of instructors have found the Arab an apt pupil. To-day the title ot King of the Hedjaz is no diplomatic fiction. North of the Holy Land is Syria, also populated by Arabs, with Damascus its capital. The Syrian Arab is a town Arab. He is educated in European politics, and he looks upon the southern and desert Arabs as uncultured, bigoted barbarians. The desert Arab has markedly little use for the average town-bred Syrian, and there is fear on the one side and contempt on the other. Damascus is manifestly of vital import to the new Arab State, it is tho commercial heart of the whole of Arabia. The railroad and all caravan routes centre there. To reach ports of Beirut' and Aleppo all produce must pass through Damascus. The present source of irritation between French and British policy in Asia Minor centres around the Syrian problem. We, the British, have taken on the responsibility of getting tho Arab nation on its feet as a self-go-verning and self-developing nation. France, whose interest in Syria dates 'from the Crusades, wishes to retain paramount control of Damascus. In other words. French interests in Syria are to be the cork in the neck of the bottle which can suppress nil development of Asia Minor. j

The problem is complicated :iiul intricate. There are infinito religions as well as political complexes to be reconciled, and if it were purely n matter between France and Britain it (.wild doubtless be done. T?nl there is another factor—the Arabs of Arabia, i Tt "is their country, their race, and they not unnaturally refuse to let the parochial political leanings of the FraneoDamascaiuss spoil the realisation of their idea of an Arab nation. They are prepared to fight for 'Damascus, and they are capable of taking it. England has more Moslem subjects than any other empire. Arabia is not our protectorate, but we are more than interested. It is our duty to support the Arab nation and to our interest "that Arabia should be dominant Mahometan Power. Arabia- is the keystone of the whole Moslem world, for there are the sacred places of the Mos-» Jem I'ailh. Mecca and Medina. Our Moslem subjects in India and Egypt are keenly interested in the development of the Arab nation, and we cannot permit a series of inspired incidents connected with French native proteges to baulk the fulfilment of the {treat ideal of a. happy, prosperous, and peaceable nation.