THE NEAR EAST.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1923, Page 2

THE NEAR EAST.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. j BRITISH POSITION. ! stated BY LORD CTRZOX. j LONDON, February G. ! The British Foreign Minister, Lord ; Curzon, has made a long statement to the press regarding the Lausanne Conference. He says: “The first Commis- ■ sion’s work has been completed. It rested with the Turks to accept or re- J fuse the Allied terms which placed Turkey in a position of political independence. assured sovereignty, and military and territorial security, such as she never had before enjoyed. AAhcn the final Turkish reply was delivered it was found that the Turks accepted j the terms of the draft treaty, and all the essential phases, including my insistence regarding the Anzac glares. Upon two points, it was still open for me to make considerable concessions. 1 withdrew restrictions on the numbers of the Turkish army in Europe. “I also consented to postpone, an invitation to the League of Nations Council to enquire into the Mosul question for one year, to allow of friendly discussion between Britain and Turkey, subject to the maintenance of the status quo. “With these concessions, all the important issues between Britain ami Turkey were finalised, it only remained to obtain Turkish acquiescence on points where French and Italian interests were move directly concerned firstly, a cessation substitute for judicial capitulations, and secondly. the financial and economical clauses of the treaty. “Regarding the former, the Allies devised a formula which went to the extreme limit of concession. Regarding the latter. M. Boinpard offered to further examine the economic clauses.” Lord Curzon continued: —“I yielded to a claim to reduce to almost a vanishing point the demand for 1 urkisli reparations, by consenting to pay into a reparations pool the value of two Turkish warships, which Britain seized at the beginning of the war. Every apparent obstacle was thus removed, hut at the last moment, the Turks recapitulated exploded formulas regarding Turkey’s sovereign independence. AA'e vainly exhausted every resource and argument. The Turks remained immovable. It was clear that-, for the barren satisfaction of sustaining a position which had long been sapped, or, on flic off chance, of squeezing some further surrender, the Turks were prepared to forego the chances ol a settlement. They will lie real wreckers of peace. AVlien 1 left Lausanne, J was convinced that the Turks, "hen they realised "hat they had den*, would he tile first to recognise the extent of their error, and that a reaction would assume definite proportions within twelve hours. I told the Cabinet that I "as of the opinion that the conference had succeeded, and had noi failed. At a moment when I had every excuse of complaining that,the Allied unity had been endangered by the action of the outsiders, I declined to swerve from the position that it was only by unbroken Allied solidarity that peace could he won. I preferred to full with the Allies, while helping to light* their cause, to winning a selfi.vi victory on file field of exclusively national advantage. I will hi' content to he judged by the results.” FOREIGN WARSHIPS. LONDON, February G. The Angora Government has ordered foreign warships to leave Smyrna. TURKS RFSFNT.AIFXT. CONSTANTINOPLE. Fel> 7. The newspapers join in a chorus of indignation against Frame, whom they now accuse of keeping, Turkey in economic servitude. CURZON ASKS FOR TERMS. LAI’S ANNE, Feb 7.

Lord (.‘ur/,011 has tcilegraphed to Ismei Rasim demanding to know the exact terms whereon lie is prepared to sign a Treaty. He has informed M. Poincare that the Turks must give a tangible proof of their good intentions. NAVAL LIMITATION TREATY. ROME, Eel, 7. The Italian Chamber has approved the Washington naval agreement. Al I lED ULTIMATUM MOOTED. PARIS. Fell 7. It is authoritatively stated that l-rjiiici' supports the British Cabinet's decision to stand fast and demand that Ismet Pasha accept or reject the Treats. IS.MKT REFUSES TO SIGN. POINCARE'S EFFORT FAILS. (Received this day at SAW a.m.7 PARI, February 7. M. Poincare’s supreme effort last night to induce Ismet to sign the Treaty failed. Ismet refused to send Lord Ctirz.on a written pledge accepting the Treaty. He told journalists lie might: return in three weeks to continue the negotiations if the Allies wished it. Ismet declared that world opinion would recognise that Turkey had made supreme sacrifices. He had not received any written reply to his answer to the terms offered on Sunday, nor any communication relating to 'the (rupture. The icionforenee was not ruptured, but suspended, and he followed the Allies example in consulting his Government . TERRS AND RUSSIANS LEAVE. (Received this day at Q . 30 a.inA LAUSANNE, February 7. A majority of the Turkish delegation including Ismet have departed for Angora. The, Russians have also left.