A PEACE OFFER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16847, 25 September 1922, Page 6

A PEACE OFFER.

The All*e@ have made a. peace offer which should have some attractions for Xenial Pasha.. Britain, France and Italy, acting in concert, have invited Turkey to a conference- at Venice, at which the countries named and the Balkan States will b© represented. The convening Powers state that they view with favour the return of Thrace and Adrianople to Turkey, and make a condition that the Nationalist Army does not in the meantime send its army into the proclaimed neutral tones. They also give certain aoeniranees regarding Turkey's possession of Constantinople, as starr. st£ the peac** treaty regarding tho i various frontier changes, and the freedom of the X>ardaiielie6 and the Bospborous, octeffs hrfoj> force. The terms of the iwgjsj* that the British Foraf&n Minister, Lc-rdOorzon. has contrived to bring about a substantial measure of agreement with France, which i» new oomroitted to the main- , tenanoe of the freedom of the Straits. The stfitcmw'rb mad© by Mr Xdoyd George at No. 10, Downing Street, set out Britain* 6 position with umrsuai clarity, and it is difficult to escape from its logic. It is undoubtedly an essential of the world’s peace that there shcraM be an effective guarantee of the freedom of the Straits in the future. The only problem, in the eseriy days of the crisis, was why it should be left to Britain alone to enforce and maintain, that freedom. There is at present no definite indication that the terms offered will be satisfactory to the Keru*!ists, who no doubt have v-esrv definite ideas about Turkey’s rights and pretensions. It is unofficially reiperted the are making for Ism id, which is on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorcus, with a view to advancing on Constantinople. Kemal is not likely to advance very far in that direction. He may approach Israid, which is on the edge of the neutral aone. but it is diffioulfc. to believe that he will go further. The Allies have tnade on advantageous offer, and in the circumstances Kemal is not likely to hastily decline it. France’s pressure has been added to that of Britain, and that, we believe, should be the deciding factor for peace. Kemal, whatever his hopes, cannot afford to fly in the Face of two strongest Powers in Europe.