SIDE LIGHTS ON THE WAR

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9520, 8 May 1940, Page 2

SIDE LIGHTS ON THE WAR

ITALY AND THE MEDITERRANEAN EYES ON NORTH AFRICA MOVES SINCE UNIFICATION (Contributed —No. 5) With the unification of Italy under one supreme government in IS7O, Italian nationalists began to look to Northern Africa as a sphere for territorial expansion. Tunis first attached their attention, but France was already in Algeira and Italy would have to proceed warily in order to avoid possible complications. In 1880 France occupied Tunis and in ISS2 Britain occupied Egypt, so that Tripoli alone remained as a possible objective of Italian hopes. But Tri - poli belonged to Turkey and as Germany wished to cultivate the friendship of Turkey, she opposed a barrier to Italy’s ambitions. So the Tripoli project was shelved for a whileand the disastrous defeat of Italian troops by the Abyssinians in 1890 made dangerous adventures distinctly unpopular. GIVEN FREE HAND IN TRIPOLI In 1901 France was anxious to detach Italy from the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria and Italy) and also to gain control of Morocco. An agreement was made by which Italy was to be given a free hand in Tripoli and France in Morocco. This agreement was in 1904 linked with an Anglo-French agreement by which Britain would agree to the partition of Morocco between Spain and Franco in exchange for the recognition of her control in Egypt. Italy was now a member of the Triple Alliance and also of the Triple Entente and, as the Russians said, neither would be able to count on her loyalty in the event of war: She would play a waiting game and finally join with the

winning side. In 1909 Italy advanced her position by gaining Russian support in agreeing to regard with benevolence that country’s aim of opening the Bosphorus to the passage of Russian warships through the Dardanelles. The way being now clear, Italy, in 1911, declared war upon Turkey aud seized the Dodecanese Islands which lie to the west of the coast of Asia Minor. The war over, Italy agreed to evacuate these islands as soon as Turkey had withdrawn her troops from Tripoli, now known as Libya. But Russia saw that her opportunity had arrived now that Turkey was embarrassed and brought pressure to hear for the opening of the Dardanelles, and Turkey looked for support from another Great Power. She inclined to Britain hut as Britain was Russia’s partner in the Triple Entente, she passed over to Germany.

DODECANESE ISLANDS The Balkan War began in 1912 and Turkey, fearing that she could not hold the Dodecanese against the Greeks, left the Italians in possession. Both Britain and France were opposed to the continued Italian possession and as the second Balkan war was in prospect, Turkey did not wish to be embarrassed with the protection of the islands and Germany would not consent to any measures tending to coerce her. In 1914 Enver Pasha became the Turkish Minister of War and liis policy was definitely pro-German and by the middle of that year the Great War had broken out with Turkey as an ally of Germany and Italy still in the Dodecanese. Since then Italy has fortified these islands and estab - lislied a strong naval and military base which is a menace to any shipping hostile to herself using the only route to the Black Sea and they also menace the route through the Suez Canal.

TURKEY AND BRITAIN With the rise of Kemal Pasha, who afterwards stlyed himself as Ataturk, the ancient friendship with Britain was revived. He made no attempt to regain the territory lost to Turkey after the Great War, but aimed at making his own country strong and well organised. He fortified the Bosphorous and if the present war should spread to the Mediterranean and menace the Balkans the Allied navy will have the advantage of operating from the narrow waters of the Dardanelles with the sea of Marmora as a secure base.