SOVIET REQUESTS PARTS OF TURKEY

Chronicle (Levin), 11 March 1946, Page 5

SOVIET REQUESTS PARTS OF TURKEY

PRKREQriSITE TO RENEWAL OF TREATY Reeeived Sunday, 7.20 p.m. WASHINGTON, March 10. A New York Times' corresoondent leam.-d that the Soviet has oxficially aslteri Turkey to hand over the Kars ari ! Ardahan regions of Eastern Turkey, and has informed the British and American Governments of i+s desire flint the area shall he returned to Russia. OfMcmls in Washington said that. the dfiiia.-'i eontributed considerably to the sci'.sc ■!' urgency which surrounded K; tish and Russian relations since the i ' t -i C-jnference, where Mr. Moloto. .'ifornied the British and the Aiiivu-ic.uis of the demand. However, th Ji. ss a.i official claim is evidently mere mouest than those made by some writers in the Russian Press. They asketi that Turkey should cede the districts of Ciresum, Gumusane, Erzurum and Trabzon — an area estimated at 24.800 square miles and with a population of 1,100,000, compared with 6(500 rq itro miles and 300,000 people in KarsArdahan. The Secretary of State (Mr. Byrnes) saiti -,n Friday that Russia had told T;'.:k;-y that before any treaty oi allicouLl be reached between the two ccudr.es there must be a discussion on the quf ntioa of the Dardanelles and two Tu'ki: li provinces bordering the Armen- . . .. S uif't reyublic. These provinces v.. .viiod to Turkey under the BrestL,i . . Treaty, and the cession was i. "d under the Russo-Turkish = j:. in 1921. Byrnes told the Press that Mr. Me v nieationed informally at the ni Cjnference that Russia had vd'i I'-.u'Aey that, before renewal of the I.u ■ •i-Turki.sh Treaty, the two coun'L >*• 'i ;!u»i have to discuss, firstly, the •• .miles and the Montreux Conven- ? •>: : e;;i;uuk the Kars and Ardahan ;r.. .-vS. Mr. Molotov's remark was -• .\iv ng a discussion on the Ameri- *:> 'fji uiosal for internationalising B ii'ou • .n waterways, including the berii.iu'-ux?. Mr. Molotov prefaced his v> 'pi.rks by asserting that Russia had no demands on Turkey. Mr. statement was not discussed, ■ » Russia ever formally presented . ... j ; ; ior Kars and Ardahan, the 'J.r • 1 SSates Government had not been U: i "l of it. i " diplomats disclosed that the T ..■-'i'sii Ainbassador in Moscow (Mr. .. . Terper) was seen by Mr. Molotov i. ^'1 Jnne, wlien Mr. Serper was given •*. fiiicct impression that Russia wantM piu Soviet revision of the Mantreux i .•:! Soviet bases in the Dardanelles t 'intiight possession of Kars and Ardahan. Mr. Serper told Mr. Molotov tui- Turkey would not agree to any of the proposals.