ALLIED CONFERENCE

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 16

ALLIED CONFERENCE

THE MEETING IN LONDON. SEVRES TREATY DISCUSSED. LONDON, February 21. The Big Three began conversations respecting the Sevres Treaty. Mr Lloyd George presided at the preliminary meetings in Downing Street of the British, French, Italian, and Japanese delegations. A formal' meeting of the conference was held afterwards at St. James’s Palace, to which the Greek repre sentatives were invited The conference is being held in the picture gallery of the Palace, the satne room where a century ago the state of Europe was settled after Napoleon’s banishment, and when Blucher was cheered by the crowd outside the Palace. The contrast next week will be a poignant one for Dr Von Simons. The portraits of all the monarchs of England adorn the walls, also a picture depicting the King and Queen inaugurating the Australian Commonwealth. FRIENDLY TONE OF CONVERSATIONS. LONDON, February 22. It is understood that at the preliminary Conference France and Britain were .n agreement with respect to the solution of the question regarding Smyrna by •making it semi-autonomous under a Christian Governor, with half the police Turkish and half Christian. It was also proposed to return to Turkey one-fourth of Thrace. The 'Allies’ decision to hear M. Calogeroponlos was unexpected, and left a favourable impression on the Greek mission regarding the Allies’ desire for absolute fairness. The conversation at the Conference table was most friendly. M. Calogeropoulos offered to clear Anatolia of Mustapha Kemal’s troops if the Allies removed the embargo against the Greek Government raising funds in foreign countries. He said that the Greek people were ready to make any sacrifices to retain the Treaty of Sevres. General Sarvannis, the Greek military expefffc, is optimistic. He declares that the Kemaliet forces are greatly exaggerated, and points out that the Greek ad vance achieved results which the Allied •.experts declared to be impossible. A French expert, on being interviewed, declared that the Kemalist generals are highly skilled and experienced. The Greek idea of advancing on Angora is sheer madness. The Italians agree, and say that euch a campaign is a military impossibility. TURKISH DEMANDS OUTLINED. LONDON, February 23. A communique states that Bekir Sami Jsey read a statement in which the united Turkish delegation demanded the 1913 frontiers in Asia Minor, the southern frontiers to be fixed in agreement with the interested parties; the separating territories inhabited by an Arab majority on

the east frontier to be the line between Turkey and Persia before the war; the frontier between Turkey and Armenia t be as fixed by the latest treaty between the authorities at Angora and the Government of Erivan; the Greeks to evacuate Smyrna, which will return to the full sovereignty of Turkey; freedom of the straits under Turkish sovereignty; the withdrawal of foreign troops from Constantinople and Turkish territory after the ratification of the treaty; complete financial economic independence; and mutual valuation of reparation damages. February 24. After submitting the Turkish case to the Conference, Bekir Sami Bey declared that there would be war so long as Smyrna remained in foreign hands. The Greek delegate refuted Bekir’s contention. GREEK CLAIMS ADVANCED. LONDON, February 24. The Supreme Council this afternoon beard M. Calogeropoulos regarding the ethnological statistics of Smyrna and Thrace. M. Calogeropoulos earnestly appealed to the Allies finally to settle the Eastern problem on the basis of the Sevres Treaty. The Council then decided to invite the Turkish delegations to attend separately to-morrow. VIEWS OF TURKISH DELEGATES LONDON, February 23. The Turkish delegates attended the conference. Tewfik Pasha and Bekir Sami Bey made statements regarding the general principles on which peace could he restored in the Near East. The conference asked them to formulate in concrete form their views regarding points in the Treaty of Sevres which they thought should be modified. Tewfik Pasha’s address at the conference showed that the two Turkish delegations are in agreement, except regarding the Armenian frontier. This is an important advance towards a re-union of the Turks. MR LLOYD GEORGE ASKS FOR DETAILS. LONDON, February 23. Both the Turkish delegates submitted practically identical statements embodying the principle that all countries inhabited by Turks, excluding those inhabited oy Arab majorities, should remain part of Turkey. The Turks are willing to concede the rights of minorities ; and also to give freedom to all nations regarding the navigation of the Dardanelles, provided that the Turkish sovereignty is not affected. Mr Lloyd George, in reply, said that genera] statements were all very well, but the conference required detailed information as to the changes demanded in the Sevres Treaty. Sami Bey declared that his delegation objected to the clauses relating to Smyrna, Thrace, and the neutral zone adjoining the straits, and also to military, economic, and financial control. ; While admitting the magnitude of Greece’s burdens under the Sevres Treaty and doubting her capacity to deal with

I the nationalist movement, the newspapers I regard the Turkish demands as preposter- | ous if they are meant seriously. | A COMMISSION SUGGESTED. LONDON, February 25. I A communique states that the Turks were asked for their views on a proposal to create a commission to decide the fate of Smyrna and Thrace, the decision of the commission to be accepted by Greece and Turkey. Tewfik Pasha deputed Sami Bey to speak on behalf of the delegations. Sami Bey thanked the Supreme Council for admitting the claims of the Turkish delegation. Mr Lloyd George intervened, remarking that no claims had been admitted. : Sami Bey replied that the Turks were confident of the justice of their claims. They regarded the creation of a eommis sion as tantamount to their being ad mit.ted. The Turks were pressed to say definitely whether on accepting the commission the., would not raise other points than questions relating to Armenia and Kurdistan. Sami' Bey obtained permission to consult his colleagues before replying. M. Calageropoulos said that he could not give a definite answer on behalf of . Greece until he had received his Govern ment’s reply. The conference added a condition to the acceptance of the Smyrna-Thrace Com- : mission that the Turks and the Greeks should immediately cease hostilities with . an exchange of prisoners. j " j ADMINISTRATION OF THRACE. PARIS, February 22. I M. Daslakoff, Bulgarian Minister of War, has arrived here. He declares that Greece is administering Thrace (which was ceded to her under the Peace Treaty) as tyrannically as the Turks did. Bulgaria desires the autonomy of Thrace under the protection of the Great Powers. REPARATION DEMANDS. GER M A NY’S VACILLATION. LONDON, February 20. The Berlin correspondent of The Times wires that the Minister of War (General Von Gessler), who is touring the country, warned the Germans that Germany s i “ No ” would not finish the reparations problem. If no agreeement were reached at the London Conference the Allies would employ the strongest and most ruthless methods, with further occupation in the east and weit. Not for nothing had 200,000 Pi .es been thrown on the German frontier. BERLIN, February 20. Dr von Simons is conferring with the Hessian Government. He emphasised the point that the failure of the forthcoming London Conference would not mean the immediate enforcement of the penalties against Germany. They could only' be en forced when Germany rejected the demands of tlie Reparations Commission, with which, according to the Peace Treaty, the decision lav. l)r Von Simons urged

the Germans to strongly support the Government’s refusal. LONDON, February 22. The Daily Chronicle states that the Berlin Committee of industrial and financial magnates, under Herr Stinnes, which is preparing reparation counter-proposals has evolved the general outlines of an astonishing scheme for the virtual amalgamation of French and German industries in 30 years for the production, distribution, and establishment of foreign credits, claiming that German exports will benefit without injury to French industry. BERLIN j February 25. Dr von Simons, in a final speech before leaving for London, stated that the experts had not yet reached an agreement as to the counter proposals, but they had submitted a plan for paying Germany’s opponents, w'hile at the same time keeping within the bounds of practicability. He added : ‘The French newspapers declare that there must not be any question at the London conference of altering the Paris decisions. In that case we shall go in vain.” He concluded by appealing to the nation not to budge, and he said: ‘ ‘You may be assured that we shall stand firm.” The Government Committee of Experts has presented a report on the fulfilment of the reparation demands, which they’ say 7 are absolutely impossible. The committee will submit counter-proposals on Friday. FRANCE OPPOSES CONCESSIONS. PARIS, February 21. The Minister of War, speaking at ’ Celebration of the fifth anniversary of the battle of Verdun, said that any concession which the French made on the other side of the Rhine would be regarded as a sign of weakness ; but the Government was contemplating the possibility of having to show that it bad not lost its force. WHAT BRITAIN HAS RECEIVED. LONDON, February 24. Mr Austen Chamberlain, replying to a question, said that Great Britain had received from the Reparations Committee 3181 tons of dye stuffs, and 304 ships (of which a number have been sola for £13,600,000, less £3.100,000 for cost of repairs). The War Office had received ■ 346,000,000 marks, local currency, for the current needs of the army of occupation. PARIS, February 23. The Reparation Commission has announced the amounts in the. Allied bills for war damages for presentation to Germany. The British claim is for £2,542,000,000, of which the principal items are damages to persons, including military pensions, £1.706.000.000; and snipping damages, £763,000,000. ITALY’S SHARE. ROME, February 23. The Foreign Affairs Committee has despatched a Note to the London Conference demanding that Italy 7 ’s share of the indemnity shall be increased to 20 per cent., and declaring that the taxation of German exports is detrimental to Italy; also demanding that Italy’s debts to the Allies should be chargeable to her indemnity. GERMAN COUNTER PROPOSAL. LONDON, February 26. The German delegation, totalling 60, is arriving on Monday, and will be accommodated at the Savoy Hotel. The Berlin correspondent of the DailyChronicle states that the German Cabinet has adopted reparation counter-proposals providing for the co-operative control of the world’s raw products and the allotment of a percentage of Germany’s industrial products to the Allies as repara* tion, along with a partial'payment in gold February 27. It is authoritatively suggested that Dr von Simons will propose a total indemnity I of £7.500.000,000. extending over 30 years, and the elimination of the 12 per cent, tax on exports. REPORT of allied experts. LONDON. February 27. The Allied conference of economic experts has submitted a report which,, is intended to meet t ermany's contention that she is unable to pay the indemnity demanded. The report points out Germany’s favourable economic situation as compared with the Allies. She has not suffered material war damage and has not contracted a heavy foreign debt. France’s foreign debt is 2386 francs per head, whereas Germany’s is only 40 marks. Germany’s disarmament saves her pre-war expenditure on the army 7 and navy 7, and releases a considerable portion of her manpower for increased production. MARSHAL FOCH SUMMONED. LONDON, February 26. The PariS newspapers interpret the summoning of Marshal Foch, who will arrive with Sir Henry Wilson on Sunday, as indicating that a preliminary discussion of penalties will be held. The Petit Parisien declares that France must insist that the reparations be considered separately from disarmament, which is regarded as settled. France must oppose the substitution of economic for military- penalties. PI SIT FRANCES F EARED. BERLIN, February 24. As the result of a violent pan-German propaganda following the decisions of the Paris Conference apprehensions are entertained regarding the outbreak of disturbances in Germany during the London Conference, and the possibility of an attempted coup d’etat is discussed. The newspaper Allgemeine Zeitimg publishes a warning against any heedless action which would only renew the foreign suspicions of Germany. Military leanings would be imputed by the < lerman proletariat to the whole of the middle class instead of to a few political adventurers.

EMIR FEISAL RE APPEARS LONDON, February 23. The re-appearance of Emir Feisal at the conference has irritated the French. Feisal addressed the conference on behalf of the Arabs. The French declare it impossible to work with him, and urge Great Britain not to persist with the enthronement of Feisal or his brother Abdullah. GENERAL ITEMS. BERLIN, February 7 23. Herr Stinnes will not accompany the delegation to the London Conference. ROME, February 7 25. According to the Corriere d’ltalia Trieste becomes a free port. LONDON, February 26. Mr Lloyd George is entertaining at Chequers over the week-end Earl Curzon, Mr Bonar Law, Sir Hamar Greenwood, M. Briand, Lord D’Abernon, M. Bertholet, Marshal Foch, Sir Henry Wilson, and General Weygand. February 27. A communique from Lord Curzon informed the Turkish delegates to the Conference that the Allies intend to adhere to their obligation to constitute a united and stable Armenia, and that the districts of which Armenia was deprived must be restored.