IRAQ.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 March 1925, Page 4

IRAQ.

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

BAGHDAD, January 2:t

Now that the League of Nations Commission—or “W'afd,” to use the Arabic term—is actually in the country, Iraq is and will continue to be for some time absorbed in the topic of the .Mosul frontier decision. Ferhaps no new State created since the war, with the possible exception of Poland, depends so much on this frontier question as Iraq, not only for its progress, but even for its very existence. A galance at tbe map .should be sufficient to show tlie most sceptical that any northern frontier for this country short of the mountains would he militarily quite untenable, and that consequently, when the time comes for British military assistance to be withdrawn, Iraq shorn of the .Mosul vilayet would soon cease to be ail independent country. No doubt these considerations will be given full weight by the commission, in spite of Turkish efforts to nullify their importance; but it is. at the same time, only too obvious that in the great world outside it is generally assumed that the Iraq State is a kind of camouflage of a new British colony, and that Britain will never officially withdraw from this country. C’onsequently Iraq’s claims have to meet with Lhe antipathy of all those people (and they are not a few), who are jealous of the British Empire or suspicious of Britain’s intentions. This point of view is unfair both to Iraq and Britain. Whatever may he in the rights and wrongs of the British position in Egypt, tlie Sudan or Falestiiic-, there can he no question to an unprejudiced mind that British behaviour here has been, politically speaking, exemplary. The British have clearly stated from ’ the very lirst — ever since General Maude’s entry into Baghdad, in 'fact —that they did not desire to take over Mesopotamia, and that their sole reason lor stopping was to ensure the building up of an independanL State which should he free of Turkish intervention. Our soldiers detested this country : our statesmen and military leaders were, and are, afraid of it, owing to the ex-

treme difficulty of protecting it were it to lieiom.e a Hank of the British Empire. There is not, and never was, the slightest excuse for the statement, that Britain wanted Iraq as a colony, and therefore there is, in contrast to Egypt, absolutely no points ol disagreement between British policy and Iraq aspirations. Iraq aspires to be a free, modern democratic Stale ; Britain wishes a strong and friendly country on her eastern border, which -liould adequately protect her from any possible thrn-t against India by wav ol Turkey. For once in a way the aims of the Empire and of a daughter Stall' are completely in harmony. Those who assert that the British want Mosul solely for selfish reasons overlook entirely the rights and hopes ol the Arab of Iraq, and of the other Arabs who look towards Iran, as the coming model Arab State.

PERSONNEL OF THE C O.MAI ISSION. The League of Nations Commission, in addition to Count T’l-laki, Colonel Paulis, and M. de Wirsen, includes a Turkish delegation, headed by Jnwad Fasha well known as the generalissimo opposed to Lord Allenhy in Palestine at tlie later stages in the war. .Inwad Fasha has two assistants. Ilcdri Bey and Kamil Effiendi, and is also accompanied hv two local men. who have (boson to retain Turkish instead of adopt Iraq nationality. Those are Nazim Bey, of Kirkulc. and Fellah Bey. of Suhimainia, the latter being a nephew of the notorious Sheik Aiahmoml, the Kurdish chieftain who gave so much trouble to the authorities after tiro Armistice, and who is still at large ill the Kurdish mountains. Xiv'.im Boy and his (onimmion have naturally been of the very greatest service to the Turks at I In- present, juncture, for ob\ion- rrssnns. Considerable mine ill has been levelled at the local and Britts authorities for iiormil ting the Turkish delegation to come here at all. hut if the frontier oucslion is ever to he settled at all, it is difficult lo see how their entrain e. il requested by the Cninmissiuncrs. could he roluscd. The attitude of certain sections of llit- local population ibreuu-ned at one time to l>e awkward, and the Turks wore at lirst kept out of tho city, as guests of the officers’ mess of the local British levees. Thus the delightful picture j was oll’ercd to the world of the wicked British having Lo protect their old enemies the 'lurks from the violence of their own Into follow-subjects I In the last few days, however, feeling has died down, and the Turks are now with the rest of the Commission at the British Resiliency.

The Commissioners’ work in Baghdad has been mainiv so far of an inspecting and social nature. To use a theatrical term, they have been gaining "local colour,” They have attended two big receptions, one held by the King, the other by Sir Henry and Lady Dulilis at the British Residency, They have inspected hospitals, night schools, places of historic interest, and industrial concerns. They have had opportunity of seeing modern Iraq lilq in all its phases. Perhaps the most striking public display which they have attended has been a review of KoOO hoy scouts, who. considering the youth of the movement in this country,' gave an astonishingly good show. How lar vital they have seen here in Baghdad will t ontribiite to helping in deciding the boundary question tithe only can show.

v PROPAGANDA. * Needless to sav, they have been bombarded with propaganda in the local Press. Of the lour Arabic dailies of Baghdad, ” Al-lstikal ” and '‘Al-Alam | al-Arahi ” have been fairly quiet in their statement of the Iraq ease, while ’ ” A I-Iraq ” and “Al-Muful” have j been heating the big drum with a vengeance. The latter ventured to suggest that the British had turned proTurk, owing to their not preventing ’ the coming hero of the Turkish dele- ’ gates. Perhaps, the best statement of Iraq’s ease has been made by ” ATt Iraq ” which has pointed out, inter alia, that : (1) The Arab countries in actuality extend as far north as Mardill and Xisihin, which are Arabicspeaking towns; therefore, far from tlie Turks having the right to claim the Mosul vilayet, they are, as a matter of fact, being let off extremely lightly by the present boundary; and that ■2) the Turks resident in Iraq are not Ottomans but h’fdjuks, who speak what is to all intents and purposes a different language; and. further, that t.'L the modern division of what is now Iraq inio three vilayets was only made as recently ns the “Seventies by Midhat Pasha, previous to which the cottn-j try hail always been one vilayet, with capital at Baghdad: that even after it wa> made, it was not recognised by the military authorities, who always retained the country as one of the 12 militarv districts into which the Ottoman Empire was divided : and that niaitv important administrative blanches of the Government service still ( looked upon the country as one single area, including that of the Posts and Telegraphs. Thus the Turkish claim

thnt tlie Mosul vilayet is not in reality a part of Iraq is disproved by their own administrative records. UR OF THE CHALDEES.

Something of a sensation was caused here by the announcement that the excavations at Ur of the Chaldees, which are under the charge of the well-known archaeologist, Mr Leonard Woolley, might have to close down shortly owing to shortage of funds. The expedition is under the joint auspices of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania, and it need hardly he added that the shortage was not caused liv failure of funds at the American end. It came rather as a shock to British residents here to find that the British Museum could, to use a vulgar phase, he “stuck” for such a small sum as JL'2SO a month, which is all that is required from the British end to keep the wheels going. Eflorts are now being made to get the money together locally, hut this is a poor country. and the British colony are nut too overburdened with snare cash. It seems to us here that the laet that an important archaeological expedition can he held up for want of such a comparatively trilling sum does not reflect creditably on British civilisation as a whole; for everybody nowadays realises the importance to science of these expeditions, and are we to appear before succeeding generations as barbarians, who begrudged our working men ol science the cost of a cheap American automobile 'f It is-to he hoped that next season an eflort will he made both in Britain and throughout the Empire to see to it that our recognised working archaeologists do not have to come cap in hand, hogging for money lor an object, the value of which is generally recognised. Agricultural conditions here have been rendered far from good by the severe frost. Snow fell in Baghdad on Boxing Day, an almost unprecedented occurrence. There have only been three previous falls since ISSS. January continued extremely cold throughout. Many young fruit trees have been killed, and some damage done to winter crops.