FRANCE AND MOROCCO

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 231, 24 June 1919, Page 5

FRANCE AND MOROCCO

A DELICATE ISSUE ECHO OF GERMAN INTRIGUE The Council of Ten had one of the most delicate subjects presented to it when' the French case for a revised administration of Morocco was put forward by Ml', de Peretti della Rocen, who is Deputy-Director for Africa at the Quai d'Orsay (states the special correspondent of tho "Christian Science 'Monitor." It was n long and well-reasoned statement, which indicated tho difficulties and dangers France had experienced in northern Africa, chiefly as the result of German interference and machination, traced the history of Fi'ench development in theso parts, and stated tho. French desires tor the future, which in the main were the abrogation of the Treaty of Algeciras and the handing over largely, if not entirely, to French custody of the international zone of Tangier. The last is the most delicato point. It is hero that Spain becomes most vitally concerned, and some Spanish resistanco may bo expected. Spain and Tangier. Spain herself has repeatedly urged that Tangier should be handed over to her; it has been tentatively expressed as an item in her international policy for years past; latterly, she has been very insistent on the point; and she has urged, perhaps somewhat speciously, that wlien complaints aro made as to the way in which she .has carried out her work in her zone she has been unduly hampered by this so-called internationalisation of Tangier, and that were that zone under her own exclusive control she could do better fn northern Africa! than she lias done. Ono section of Spanish political thinVer.s. not bv any means confined to the Left, feel Mint the • whole Moroccan enterprise by Spain has been a mistake, and that she were better out of it, but a part of this section would not openly ndvocate retirement, since that would mean loss of dignity and prestige. The othor part, and the more influential and numerous section, insists on stny.inr there with undiminished rights, nnd calls for the addition to the Spanish zone of this international territory of Tangier. Tho Count de Romanones is of this nnrty. A l -- tho beginning of the war he, before nil others.' declared that Spain had the best risrht to Tangier, and must claim it. That claim has ten repeated Tecently, when it was known tlmt proposals would be made at the Peace Conference which might ■ seem" to cut into - the Spanish claims. ~ It might 'lie suggested that the case against Spain in this matter is that she has mado the worst use of her opportuniv ties in her own zone; that it has been a. field for German machinations nnd enterprises against Franco; and, of course, that she comes in for second consideration by reason of her international policy during the last four | years. But any other arrangement than one with whioli France and Spain were mutually satisfied would be. if not fatal, at least most inimical to the prospects of Morocco in general. Mr. de Peretti, in dealing with these matters and proposing that France, should attend to. Tangier—the first question put beforo the conference that presented for Franco -a vital interest, as one of tho Parisian newspapers has it—skated as lightly and quickly as possible over this point, llis statement was a very long one. The document concerning it consisted of somo 50' pages. It was listened to sympatheticillyj peculiarly earnest plea that it was, and it was stated, that Mr. Balfour was specially sympathetic. The Paris papers devoted much spaco to it and to.warm, comment in support of- the case advanced. To begin with. Mr. de Peretti traced the history of France's association with Morocco. He fjaid she was led to Moroeco, ■ai to Tunisia, .by the normal development' of her work of civilisation m northern Africa.'. Germany was the first to offer to install her at Tunis. Why had her policy changed afterwards? To that question the.only reply oould be: Other times, other policies. In 1880, Bis.marckinn Germany, shut up in Europe, only thought of. turning France's ideas of revenge away in the direction l of, great adventures. In 1905, the Germany of William II entered in full sail into world politics and wished to 'profit by tho Russian' disasters to put a check upon France,, in order to rob her of a magnificent property and • nip the • Entente Cordiale in the bud. It was for these reasons, and no others, that tho Kaiser solemnly landed at Tangier at the very.moment when Mr. Saint Hene Taillandier was at Fez for the purpose of negotiating the establishment of the French protectorate. The Germans could not claim any special interest in Morocco. More than .that, they could not set 'themselves up against any secret policy, for tho French action was developed openly. She had openly satisfied Italy and prepared public understandings with England and Spain. She would certainly not have refused a proper disoussion with Germany had the occasion for one been presented. A Gross Deception. The Algeciras Conference was, for those who were already her enemies, a gross deception. They had reckoned at Berlin on a complete dispossession of France. The treaty of April 7, 1906, consecrated in reality the privileged situation of France, so that German diplomacy hud not therefore worked in vain. It had obtained the establishment of a regime of internationalisation of finance and public works, the maintenance of capitulations and privileges of protection, establishing thus an 'admirable means of intrigue awl an instrument for putting pressure upon France. With what infernal art those resources had been put in operation! Germany thenceforward adopted a policy of pinpricks toward Franoe. She devoted herself to provoking incidents and assisting in numerous rebellions up to the beginning of the European war, and ever since that began Morocco had been included in tho Gorman plan of campaign, with the special object of drawing French troops from the Western front' so as to maintain order there. Eighty thousand .had.il been needed. Ever since the armistice there was proof that Germany had been dealing out money for the assistance of rebels in Morocco. Coming to the present claims of France, Mr. de Peretti urged that all liabilities by which the French protectorate was burdened should be removed, and that no. concession should* be made for the time being to Germany which would liavo the ■effect of enabling her to molest Franco in her administration. It was of the utmost importance that Germany should be prevented from resuming her hostile action in Morocco. With this object the Act of Algeciras and the agreements of 1900 nnd 1910 should bo abolished completely. On tho other hand, special arrangements should bo made prohibiting German access to Morocco, and Germany's allies should also be compelled to forgo all claims based on the Act. of Algeeiras without the necessity for making any new convention containing special clauses directed against thein. The other Powers wh,o were signatory to tho Act of A lge'eiras bad declared themselves ready to accept the French point of new, and they were the more willing to do so, inasmuch as there was no question of France establishing a monopoly of Morocco for her own exclusive benefit. The open door for commerce would be maintained there, nnd all foreignem would bo eWe to go there and establish themselves in business. Now as to tho Spanish zone. Mr. do Peretti observed that tho Spanish Government had declared to the Cortes that it desired to have tho liabilities weighing on tho Spanish zone removed. It was maintained that, this being a question which oitly concerncd France nnd Spain, it should be a matter for arrangement between tho two countries. Franco would also ask for guarantees from Spain against tho possibility of the utilisation of her Morocco zone by the (lormans as a base of action against the French in their own zone. As regards Tangier, tho same consideration applied with even more force. Tangier as a world port and a.s a; Moroccan port was of exceptional importance to France, whose preponderance there was an accomplished fact. It was felt that a special regime should be established, making provision for tho effcctivo defence, of French intercsts, which woro becoming increasingly important. Tangier had been the original point in the French sphere of action, and it was only lately that it had been internationalised. It should be returned to the French protectorate, but Franco would oontinue to accord to foreign colon-

ists the privilege of participation in this election of. the municipal councilors. France's only desire here was to effect guarantees against Germany, who had made of this city a base for her .schemes. Mr. do Peretti spoke of a new syslein of internationalisation, and also, of « French protectorate of Tangier. He was apparently careful not to bo too definite upon this point, and tho exact meaning of his words is differently construed by the newspapers, though it is not closely discussed. At the least a preponderance of French control in the international zone is plainly indicated.