BRITAIN AND PERSIA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 13906, 6 November 1919, Page 8

BRITAIN AND PERSIA.

Great Britain's treaty with Persia does not constitute a protectorate of the latter country in any way, the only object of the agreement being' to ensure Persia an opportunity to work out her destiny as an independent country, said Earl Curzon, Government leader in the House of Lords and president of the Council, in speaking at a- dinner given, in London in honor of the Foreign Minister of Persia. The speaker admitted lliere had been misunderstandings of the treaty, but said there was no ground for susH#iciosfi as would be proved by the workingout of the agreement.

An "era of chaos and confusion in Asia" was forecast- by Earl Curzon, who declared it would be some time before stability is restored in regions formerly dominated by liussiu- and Turkey. "When we speak of the independence of Persia;" Earl Curzon said, "meaning the political and national independence of the country, I contend now. as I hnye always contended. that the independence of Persia, is a British as well as a Persian interest. Indeed our main interest in Persia is its independence. We do not want Persia to be a mere buffer against our enemies. We want her to be a bulwark for the peace of the world, and I can assure our guest he need have no fears upon that point. We shall respect the independence of his country. We did not ask at the Peace Conference for a mandate in respect to Persia. Had it been offered we should not have accepted it. I do not believe for a. moment that Persia would have asked for it. We prefer to trade with Persia as a partner on equal terms, with that country enjoying lier own sovereignty and capable of dealing with us on terms of partnership. I do not conceal from myself that, fully as we understand the agreement concluded between us. sua-' pie-ions have been aroused as to its real character. These suspicions rest in the main upon a misconception which should not be difficult to remove. I see it stated in some quarters that this agreement is n. veiled protectorate bv Great Britain over Persia. .1 take it that a. pro* teetorate means some assumption ot exclusive responsibility ancr some curtailment or restriction in the protected -country's liberties. I lind no evidence of such a condition of affairs in this agreement.

"J would not have been a party to any attempt to set up a British protectorate over Persia. In anv ease it would have been impossible because Persia, would neither have asked for nor aeeepted it. On trie contrary, she would have resented it. ] should have been opposed to it because it would Jjuive been contrary to our repeated engagements and, in the last, resort, because I should have regarded it, as inimical to British interests. "We have, or shall have, as a of this war enough to do in the Eastern parts of the- world. IT a. nation assumes a protectorate it also assumes certain responsibilities which have a tendency to attain the weight of. a heavy burden. Above all it: is compelled to give financial assistance on a. scale which may ultimately be overwhelming. Therefore neither I nor my colleagues would have consented or acquiesced in anything like this ereution. of a. British protectorate over Persia. Those who believe the British are going, as a result of this agreement, to settle down in Persia. and to Anglicise., to lndiani.se. or Kuropeanise it in any sense of the term are urossly mistaken. All we want to do i.s io givo Persia expert assist a nee and linaneial aid which will enable her t<> carve out her own fortunes a,s an independent and still living eounlvv, I see it stated in Rome quartern Ihivt

this agreement is a disparagement or deliberate neglect. «.»i' the League oi' Nations. Articles X and XX nl the covenant arc supposed in some sense to have liecn ignored Ijv us. I would say emphatically, on behalf of the Government and after a conversation with,, his Highness this afternoon, that both his Government and mine accept unreservedly Articles X. and XX. oi' the covenant of the League of Nations and that we see in them nothing inconsistent with what we have done. On. the contrary, as sooii as the treaty of peace is ratified and as soon as the Council of the Leujiue of Nations comes into effective existence it is the intention of his 'Government and mine to communicate the agreement to the council of the league, with a full explanation and defence of its contents.

'There is another point in the agreement eoncmiiii<r which there has been .some misunderstanding. There is a passage in it which says the two ■Governments had agreed to the appointment of a joint eommittee of experts for the examination and revision of existing customs tariffs, and it seems thai have Oecn inferred that. Great Britain is claiming the rijrhi to revise eustoms treaties not only between Persia and Great Britain but between Persia and foreign Powers. An examination of the text shows there is no ground for this suspieion. A;_ r ain, when we undertake in this agreement to cooperate with the Persian Government for the encouragement of Anglo-Persian "enterprises for the development of the country we create thereby no monopoly. We claim no exclusive rights for ourseives to the exclusion of other Powers, anil, indeed. some of i hem have rendered substantial service to that count rv.

"In one of lite printed letters attached to the agreement there is a • -further undertakinir on the pari of the nritish Government to co-ope-rate with the Persian Government with a view (o the i ealisal ion. anionic others, of these two particular points ~the claims of Persia to compensation tor material damage suil'ereil at the hands ol other belligerents during the war and (he rectification of agreed upon Itv the. parlies. To this agred upon by the parties. To this ' is added the manner, time and means to be chosen for these matters tbe discussed, which will be ;is soon as is practicable. 1 believe that anions other subjects which will occupy ihe Shah of Persia during his visit (o England will be conversations wilh myself upon this matter. 'I shall be only too happy to enter into these discussions and arrive at an agreement. Should he so desire, we shall give our support to Persian delegates at Paris should thev wish to raise these claims before the Pence Conference in thai city. If i attempt to torecasi the future nothing seems to me iu I his era ol confusion and chaos !.o be more certain than that a lime ol great trouble and unforeseen development lies before Ihe continent o| Asia. I doubt very much J whether as n result of the war we shall succeed in pacifying Kurope, but whether we do so or not 1 am quite cei tain v» e shall not lor some lime secure stabililv in 'Asia. The breAup ol Ihe (wo great empires of b'us- j sia and 1 ttrkev has lefl u vacuum in Ihis which il will take a great deal of 'lime to till wh|, orderlv. settled elements. ,1 ask our truest to give, as 1 am conlidcnt he vill be able to do, recognition (o the fact • hat in the rccenl negotiations between us both parties acted with absolute freedom and were subject lo no pressure whaisoever. We eouhl not have imposed I his agreement upon Persia if Persia had nol been willing lo aeeepl il, and that country could nol have wrung il from us. We are jointly prepared to «lefciid I his agreement. and look forwnvd to the vindication of it-: teal clinrneler in the operation,"