CLAIMS OF THE ARABS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14847, 26 February 1919, Page 8

CLAIMS OF THE ARABS.

INDEPENDENCE SOUGHT. A PICTURESQUE DELEGATION. ' PARIS, Feb. 11.— Arabs, m long, black frocks and flowing white headgear with golcTen crescents, a mark of loyalty, adorning their brows, came to ithe council yesterday. Their costume, quiet stateliness, and simple sincerity, probably did not differ?- from the appearance of the wise men of the East who journeyed to Bethlehem. Sherif Faisul of JHedjaz, who, as the Emir's heir, led the tribes throughout 'those harassing flank attacks upon the Turks during General Allenby's campaign, reminded! the council that he be. Jongiedl to 'the oldest reigning family of the- ■world; which a thousand years ago, ' before the present arbiters of the na-i .tions were borri> ruled the East. | 1 The young Oxford don Colonel Lawrence, who for love of England became an' Arab during the war, organising and inciting the Arab tribes, appeared! 'as FaisuVs staff officer. '. Faisul first read m the Eastern style, . ;as though mumbling prayers m a long monotone,' a paper setting out the Arabian claims. Then he tossed the paper j aside, and asked and answered questions 'like a real man, as he, argued" with tho .representatives, of the West. It' was an extraordinary spene, with the " romantic, story of Colonel Lawrence's dangerous conspiracy, amateurish, though backed by millions of pounds' „ of British gold, but extraordinarily suc:ccssful, m everybody's mind. The delegates confessed themselves much ini-pr-essed. French newspapers publish the secret treaty between the British and Arab.-, describing the pouring out of British! gold. ■ ■ j ■ As a matter of fact, it cost Britain j £5,000,000 m subsidies, and a similar jsum-in supplies, given during the conse.:' . cutive movements- by thousands of! Arabs, who did much, to assist General Allenby. ' -' . ! •Fifteen million Arabs claim their independence. They are willing to be un-.dei-the League of Nations, Irat dp not wish France to have a mandate. • Faisul said that the settled! 'Arabian populations m Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine wished to >enjoy the same jneasure of independence as t"he more r'e-'i mote Arabian Governments". He pointed out that Palestine's population was seveneighths Arabian and one : eighth Jewish. The territory m dispute is part of th&! old Turkish Empire south and east o?! the- mountainous chain of Asia Minor towards Persia. The real question is concentrated m Damascus. Faisul -claims this for the nomad Arab race, with access to the sea, and thus asks for valuable territory, including Damascus and ' Alexandretta, which would leave for the French a, mandate OT mL 1^ a mere emasculated strip. There is no doubt that a good! settlement -will be effected between the British, French, and Arabian views, with mandates ■ differing according to the capacity of the various Arab tribes to govern .themselves. The Eastern tribes have already; made the ancient site of tho Garden- of Eden into* a real garden, for under British administration Mesopotamia is flourishing, irrigated."' and' .curtavatedL ' .Meantime m other parts the collapse of the German pillars to Turkish rule has led to anarchical conditions, thieving, murdexung, and! ueuty prevailing.