FRENCH DENIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25384, 16 November 1943, Page 5

FRENCH DENIAL

RIOTING IN THE LEBANON “ COMPLETE CALM EXISTING ” (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 14. A French communique issued in Algiers to-night denied that 48 deputies were arrested in the Lebanon for voting in favour of the amended constitution or that disturbances, including a clash between French tanks and Lebanese had broken out or that sections of the Druses had revolted and scores had been killed. The communique declared that the most complete calm existed in the Lebanon and that incidents resulting from M. Jean Helleu’s measures were grossly exaggerated. It added that the arrival of General Catroux would end the misunderstanding. General Catroux arrived at Beirut today. The Cairo correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph reports that Egyptian students this morning, shouting “ down with France, down de Gaulle,” marched past Shepherd’s, where French officers were seated on the terrace. Several hundred students demonstrated wildly outside the French Legation, shouting the same slogans. In the afternoon' a number of windows in the headquarters of the French delegation in Cairo were broken by stones thrown by Lebanese sympathisers. The Algiers correspondent of The Times says that “the French committee must accept some responsibility for the events in the Lebanon. M. Helleu. the French Committee’s delegates in Lebanon, who was here last week, discussed the situation with the committee when General de Gaulle granted him full powers. If the recent action J n the Lebanon was contemplated at these discussions it is evident that the implications were not fully appreciated at the time.”

The Turkish press strongly disapof the attitude of the French. The Aksam says: “If France thinks she is remaining in Syria after the war she is mistaken.”

Another paper declared: "Syria belongs to the Syrians, and there is no place there for a foreign govermhent.” The Ankara radio reports that escaped Lebanese politicians have formed a government at Baalbek, near Damascus.

“ I proclaim, in ' the name of the Egyptian Government and people, that Egypt will not rest until legality is re-established in the Lebanon by the return of the President and his Government and Parliament, who alone are authorised to speak in the name of the Lebanon,” declared the Prime Minister, Nahas Pasha, in a speech at the Wafd Party Congress in Cairo. He said that the political situation in the Lebanon was worse than before the French took arbitrary and painful action against the Lebanon’s legal Government. The Egyptian Government hastened to do its duty in face of these guilty decisions, and had energetically protested to the- French National Committee of Liberation, and to the British and American Governments. It had also asked the Arab Governments to join in protest. Nahas Pasha went on to praise Britain’s attitude towards Egypt. “ Even during the acutest crisis,” he said, “we always found our ally had the utmost respect for our independence, but-Egypt is not interested only in herself. She is interested in the welfare of her sister Arab nations.” He revealed that as the result of consultations - between Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Transjordan, and Arabia an Arab Congress was being convened in Cairo. He also said the British Government promised Egypt equal representation in peace negotiations directly concerning her interests. Mr A. M. Jinnah, addressing the Moslem League at New Delhi, expressed concern over the situation in the Lebanon, and said that a resolution on the subject would be tabled to-morrow.