FRANCE AND THE LEVANT

Chronicle (Levin), 13 March 1946, Page 5

FRANCE AND THE LEVANT

MOVE AT BE-ESTABLISHMENT? Received Tuesday, 9.15 p.m. LONDON, March 12. - ;.A , . snspiciq.n. that - the .Pr'enelP ' had 'ixgreecl t^:^it^i?a^'%heii^£troops from banon ' ^o ^that They, . hiigbt . ree-esta o"fish tneir^pdsition' in %h'e LVvant "onc-e the British troops are withdrawn, i& voiced in a statement to the Press Association hy the former British Miniscer to tlie Levant, Major-Generai ripears. K-eierring to tue agreement that the British troops should leave Lebanon by tne end of j une and the jerencn troops uy the end of March, 1947, General spears said: "The reasons given oy tiie French for taking mor-e than a year uO withdraw 9000 troops is so disingenuous as to make it obvious that these are not their real motives. ' ' It would seem that the Prench Government got their way, despite the opmion expressed at United -lxations' Security Council. The British and French troops should he withdrawn as soon as it is technically possioie, despite Mr. Bevin's solemn assurance that the British troops would remain until the French left." General Spears suggested that Mr. Bevin should announce that, according to British military experts, the Britisn and French troops could complete their evacuation oi Syria and Leoanon by the end of June, and ofl'er the French the necessary transport. British troops should remain in e»;uivalent numbers if the French were imwilling to agree. Reuter's Beirut correspondent says the Lebanese Government has instruct ed its delegates in Paris not to accepl the British and French proposal where by the British troops would leave Lebanon by the end of June and the French hy the end of March, 1947. The delegates were instructed to demand simultaneous British and French withifrawal under six months.