CONFERENCE OF NATIONS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17125, 21 April 1921, Page 5

CONFERENCE OF NATIONS.

SOME INTERESTING PERSONALITIES.

(nfOM OUR OWN OOBBESPONDENT.) LONDON, February 24. Official representatives of five Tuitions are at present in London in connexion with the two international Conferences which are to decide tha Allies' policy with regard to the Near East, and to come to a definite understanding on the question of German reparations. The Near Eastern Conference, which opened this weekj has so far made little, progress, owing largely to the illness of Tewfik Pasha, head of the Turkish official delegates. Yesterday, however, he was able to be present at the proceedings in St. James's Palace, and a little turther progress was made The Conference owes its origin directly to the fact that the Allied Assembly in Paris at the end of January diid not arrive at any decisions regarding the future of Turkey and other problems clo&ply bound up with that country. The present deadlock in regard to the Treaty of Sevres lias arisen because the Government of Constantinople, which accepted it, has no authority outsido the immediate surroundings of that city. Nearly all the remainder of Asia Minor, oxcept Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine, which are practically in Allied hands, is controlled by Mustapha -Kenial and the Nationalists, who have their capital at Angora. The Kemaiists refuse to acknowledge the Constantinople Cabinet or its agreements, and they refuse to accept the SevrL's Treaty, particularly its clauses which hand over the port of Smyrna and its Asiatic hinterland to Greece. Whatever may bo ..the arguments for or against the Treaty of Sevres, which practically destroys the Ottoman Empire, that Treaty has not been enforced, and it is difficult to enforce it on the great bulk of the Turkish people. In addition to this, the return of King Constantine to Greece, and the defeat of Mons. Veniz.-los has certainly changed the whole situation in and connected with that country. Two parties of Turkish representatives are therefore in London—the Nationalist delegates, headed by Bekir Sarni Be.v, Foreign Minister for the Ann-ora Government, and Tewfik Pasha, Grand Vizier of Turkey, for the Snltan's Government. Tewfik~Pasha, the veteran Turkish statesman, was Ambassador at the Court of St. James when war broke out. He did his utmost to prevent Turkey entering the European conflict. He returns, after a period of storm and stress, to make the best terms he can, as the penalty of failure in the war he did not want. By the irony of fate, Greek delegates travelled with him in the same train through Europe. Both Turkish parties with their numerous retinue are housed at the Savoy Hotel, the attitude of the British Government being that they cannot be received separately. They must therefore meet beforehand, compose their differences, and appear at the conference as a single delegation. Indeed, the rebel Turkish delegates showed their friendliness to the "official Turks" th's week by dining with them. The delegation is causing a livelv interest among visitors at the Savoy, but the Turks, who are always exquisitely polite, seem to be quite oblivious to the curiosity they inspire. Their appearance and manners give the impression that they would be incapable*of giving troub.e to anvbodv either in a national or personal sense. It is evident they are glad to be in London, and they are thoroughly enjoying themselves Mons. Caloberopoulos, the Gree^

"Prime Minister, is a sturdy, active man, who bears his seventy years lightly, for his abundant hair is only slightly touched with grey. A lawyer who studied in Paris, ne practised his profession* at Athens, until recently, but has been associated with Greek politics for some forty years, and _h,as served as Minister - of Justice, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Finance. This is hi 9 Excellency's first official visit to London. He has expressed "most benevolent" views on the Entente, and his great regret is that the Allies have not trusted him "as they should, have done." He says "many evils would have been avoided" had he been trusted when, he formed Eis Cabinet in 1917, and, a 9 to Mons. Venizelos, the Premier strongly resents the idea that he should have anything to do with the Conference. "Greece has' Suffered, like every other country,' l he remarked in the course of an interview, "and you must remember that we have been fighting since 1912, and are still fighting, but we are now recovering, and with the new rich Greek provinces which the Peace Treaties have given us, wo hope soon to put the country on a very sound economic basis. I wish particularly to remark that the whole Greek population, whether under Greek or Turkish rule, both at home and abroad, are the true friends and admirers of Great Britain." Mons. Venizelos, who is also in London, will probably not appear at the Conference, but his influence will bo felt. He is, of course, supporting the general Greek claim that recent gains should not be disturbed. Mons. Briand, who arrived in London on Sunday, is accompanied by Mons. Philippe Berthelot, who occupied in France a similar post to that of Permanent Secretary at our Foreign Office. Mons. Briand's own personal party also includes his intimate friend, Dr. Chatin. and Mons. Kanimerer. The latter is director of the Asiatic section at the Quai d'Orsay, and a specialist in the much-discussed Treaty of "Sevres. But no more interesting figure has coni<? to London with Mons. Briand than General Gouraud, the one-armed so! dier, who, between July loth and IBtiv, 1918, bloodily repulsed the Germans to the east of Rheims, completely defeated their object of piercing the main French line between Berry au Bac and Rheims. and began the movement which led to the German debacle. Before that he was with the French Expeditionary Force in the Dardanelles and Resident Governor of Morocco. He is now High Commissioner of France in Syria and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the East, hence his presence at the Turkish Conference. Ttalian diplomacy is represented by its "fin© fleur" in the persons of Count Sforza and Signor de Martino, the Italian Ambassador. One of their righthand men is Commendatore Galli, one of Europe's greatest authorities on the Orient. In the matter of reparations, Count Meda, the Italian Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a leader of the Catholic People's Party, will play a prominent role. He will be assisted by the two well-known experts, Signor d'Ameglio and Giannini. The Japanese Ambassador, Baron Hayashi, is seconded by the Councillors of the London, Paris, "and Berlin Embassies. Messrs Nagai, Matsuda, and Debutshi, Mr Kengo Mori, the wellknown financial expert, and the Japanese Military Attache in Paris, General Watanabe, with two secretaries.' The German Government will be represented at the Reparations Conference by the Foreign Miirjter, Dr. von Simons, and the Minister of Finance, Herr Wirth. They will be accompanied by an advisory staff, which will include Herr Hugo Stinnes and Dr. Walther Rathenau. Herr Stinnes, reputed to be Germany's richest man, came into prominence at Spa, where, at the Conference with the Allies, he made a truculent speech, in which he talked of France's "victory madness" and said defiantly that the Germans would not accept the Allies' solution of the question of Germany's deliveries of coal, j

He is a reading coal magnate in Westphalia, and with one or two other men he controls Germany's coal, iron, and steel supplies. He exercises also a preponderating influence on Germany's shipping, and within the last twelve months he has bought up newspapers and paper factories. Dr. Rathenau waß Germany's chief propagandist during the war. He was in London last month on business. In October of last year he was refused permission to come to England to attend the International Economic Conference. ' . ~ Emir Feisul, as representing his father, the King of Hedjaz, is another visitor to London, and he is anxious to attend the deliberations of the Allies regarding the Treaty of Sevres. It is understood that he has made an application to the proper authorities to that effect. The King of the Hedjaz never signed the Treaty, on the ground that, in his opinion, it did not provide for a reasonable settlement in the Middle East, and he accordingly considers th' at as he fought against the Turks during the war, and. is still at war with Turkey, he should' be represented at deliberations which are virtually interesting to his country.