FRENCH AID FOR GERMANS

Southland Times, Issue 24439, 20 May 1941, Page 5

FRENCH AID FOR GERMANS

Syrian Volunteers Go

To Iraq

LONDON, May 18.. Precise information about what is happening in Syria and Iraq is difficult to obtain, but it is confirmed that German operational staffs have taken over three Syrian aerodromes which, it is expected, will soon be bases for operations against the British forces in Iraq, Egypt, Palestine and elsewhere. According to the Ankara correspondent of The Times the first of the 30 bombers sent to Iraq were mostly oldfashioned machines of French manufacture which the Germans captured last year. The French are helping the Germans by facilitating the passage of Syrian volunteers for Rashid Ali’s army. There are about 5000 of them and they are described as disaffected riff-raff brought to the frontier in French military lorries and now awaiting a favourable opportunity to cross. It is reported that a small detachment which crossed within the past few days met a shower of bullets and bombs from British aeroplanes. The French statements of Vichy actions almost give the impression that thev have given up responsibility for Syria. There is no evidence that the French attempted to defend their aerodromes from British bombers, and they are sending to Iraq daily irreplaceable guns and ammunition. This doe not indicate any intention to resist invasion.

The Egyptian Cabinet sat all day on Saturday to discuss events the gravity of which is evident, says an independent French Agency message from Cairo. Several Turkish newspapers declare that Britain must occupy Syria urgently. One says she should have done so long ago. A message from Ankara reports that several train loads of war materials passed from Syria to Iraq on Friday and Saturday. As the railway passes through Turkey the Turks, under the convention, must have been notified of the passage of such materials in excess of one truckload, but they have no power to hold up the traffic. This, however, is not expected to continue, as it is shown that stocks of munitions and petrol in Syria are short.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN RUSSIA AND IRAQ MOSCOW, May 18. Russia and Iraq have signed an agreement for diplomatic, trade and consular arrangements. The Soviet has circulated an order to the Diplomatic Corps forbidding all foreign diplomats and other foreigners to enter certain parts of Soviet Russia or to travel anywhere through Russia unless full details of the proposed journey have been given to the Foreign Office. A long list of the new banned areas includes the northern ports, the western Ukraine, the Black Sea coast, the Baku oilfields, and the Far East coasts.