THE NEAR EAST

Otago Witness, Issue 3590, 2 January 1923, Page 17

THE NEAR EAST

TURKEY’S PROPOSALS. PARIS, December 19. One of the Turkish delegation informed the Havas Agency’s representative at Lausanne that the" Angora Government had instructed its delegation to break off negotiations if before 4 o’clock on Thursday afternoon satisfaction is not given on the chief proposals in regard to the Straits. He added that the question of the Straits is one of two Doints on which the Turkish view must prevail. The other point was not mentioned. ANGORA’S VETO RESCINDED. LONDON, December 19. It is announced from Angora that the Government hae rescinded its veto on the departure of Christians from Asia Minor. The Caliph’s allowance has been fixed at the equivalent of £30,C00 annually. THE AMERICAN VIEWPOINT. LAUSANNE, December 20. At the opening session Mr Childs read a iong statement in the name of the United States Government, declaring that the United States took the position that full freedom of the. Straits for all nations without discrimination would best be served on the treaty rights and agreement rather than by international commission. It is believed that Mr Childs's statement was responsible for the Turks’ conciliatory attitude. TURKEY’S MODERATE TONE. LAUSANNE, December 20 Ismet Pasha agreed that a garrison of 5000 far Gallipoli was too much so he offered to allow the Allies to fix the number. Turkey ha« now accented the Allies’ scheme regarding the Straits, but objected to the stationary ships, which is a. form of capitulation, and to control of demilitarisation bv an International Commission. Lord Curzon said he was glad to hear the moderate tone of Ismet Pasha’s speech and that he accepted all the Allied projects regarding the freedom of the Straits. He pointed out that the Turks were allowed to have a garrison in several towns in Thrace, and also a force of gendarmerie. He hoped that Ismet Pasha would consider the gendarmerie sufficient. It is now necessary to find a method to make demilitarisation effective. • Directly the Straits deadlock was settled another deadlock was reached on the capitulations, the Turks claiming that the Turkish judiciary system was quite above suspicion and gave ample guarantees for foreigners. The sub-committee, however, reported that no agreement would be reached as the Allies claim that the capitulations must be replaced by some form of guarantee for foreigners in Turkey... STATEMENT BY LORD CURZON. LAUSANNE, December 20. Though the feeling outside the conference is pessimistic, and that the Turks will not yield on the Straits question, Lord Curzon, when he left the conference to-day, said that everything had passed off all right, and the Turks were very conciliatory. The Russian delegates did not say a word, and the conference would continue. IMPASSE IN NEGOTIATIONS. _ NEW YORK, December 25. The Chicago Tribune’s Lausanne correspondent interviewed Ismet Pasha, who ■aid • ‘‘We feel that the result of the Conference to date is that the European delegates have themselves with the Turkish'point of view, but the negotiations have “now reached an impasse in regard to every point, because they still feel they are dealing with officials of the old Ottoman Empire. We can never accept the application of the Straits regulations under the control of or examination by a commission. We agree that the shall be open to trade, but if this is a nretext for the Powers harbouring designs to attack Tur key we shall never agree. We recog nise the rights of the Minorities, and accept _ the proposal for supervision. Rumania and Jugo-Slavia accepted, but we cannot accept the provision for the League of Nations at Constantinople to supervise the clauses dealing with the Minorities. We agree to war indemnification if our losses and damages are paid. We shall never surrender Mosul. We cannot, allow temporary arrangements by mixed courts, even until the codification of the Turkish civil law has been completed. A special judicial regime is unnecessary for foreigners.” TURKEY’S PROTEST. LAUSANNE, December 26. The Turkish delegation forwarded to the conference a vigorously worded protest against the decision of the Sub-com-mission on Minorities to permit Armenian delegates to appear and set forth their desires. The Turkish nrotest states: “If the Armenians are heard, Turkey cannot agree to regard the meeting as official, or that the declarations shall be placed in the official ■ report of the conference. Inasmuch as the conference was called between the Allies and Turkey, no meeting at which Turkey was not represented will be regarded as official.” ISMET PASHA’S POSITION. LAUSANNE, December 26. Ismet Pasha has communicated with Angora, stating that unless he is released from his orders not to give ground on the disputed points peace is impossible. TURKEY’S THREAT. LONDON, December 27. The Daily Express’s Athens correspondent says that it is reported that the Angora Government proposes to resume the war if the Lausanne Conference collapses. M. Venizelos has appealed to Great Britain to support the Greeks in Constantinople should the revolutionary regime in Athens collapse.

THE MINORITIES QUESTION. LAUSANNE, December 27. After three days’ vacation the Conference reassembled in a stormy atmosphere. It was decided, despite Turkish opposition, to hear unofficially the statements by representatives of the Armenians and Bulgars at a meeting of the Sub-commit-tee on Minorities. The Bulgars demanded as indispensable to the resumption of satisfactory Turco-Bulgar relations that the Bulgar refugees, numbering 50,000, be allowed to return to Western Thrace. The Armenian delegates pointed out that 1,500,000 Armenians lived in Erivan, which could not sustain them, and they demanded the establishment cf a national home for them in the province of Kar and round Lake Van, with corridor to the Black Sea, excluding Trebi7.ond. or alternatively a smaller home on the Gulf of Alexandretta.