Tripolitanian Arabs Protest At Agreement

Chronicle (Levin), 14 May 1949, Page 5

Tripolitanian Arabs Protest At Agreement

(N.ZR.A.-

-Reuter,

. Copyright)

Reeei'ved Friday, 8.50 p.m. LONDON, May 13. Tripolitaoia 's 700,000 Arabs wero told to stai;t a eampaign of civil di?-' obedience against the British Administration, says the Daily- Mail's Tripoli eorrespondent. British trOops have been confined to barracks and tanks are patrolling the streets. \ The Arabsare protestiilg against the Bevin--Sforza 'agreement under whieh Tripoiitania will be returned to the Italians in 1951. The Unitfed States Consulate at Tripoli informed the State Department of a ' ' peaeeful eivil revolution ' ' and noncollaboration with the British Administration in' Tripolitania if Britain continues her policy ' ' whieh will throw the Tripolitanian people into the hands of the Italian executioner, ' ' The State Department said the eonsul received a letter to that effect signed by the Mufti of Libya, the president and viee-president of the liberation committee, the Grand Cadi of Tripoli City, and four prominent Arab merehants. The letter was deiivered to the consulate by an Arab judge following Arab general strike yesterday wherein the United States fLag was torn from the United States consulate. 9 The letter said: "As Britain has abandoned the people of Tripolitania at the last moment and as the people have seen that the hopes they placed m their belief that Britain would be at the side of a weak country have vanisAed, they have deeided not to cooperate in any way with the British Administration in Tripolitania and see themselves obliged to declare a peaeej.ul civil revolution if Britain does not change its policy. Also the Tripolitanian people see themselves obliged in the face of British opposition to take all decisions neeessary to defend themselves and the cause of Tripolitania. " The State Department said Arab unrest had arisen from the reeommendation by the United Nations sub-eom-naittee that Tripolitania should be placed under' an Italian trusteeship by the end of 1951.