CLIMAX NEAR IN SYRIA

Southland Times, Issue 24239, 24 September 1940, Page 5

CLIMAX NEAR IN SYRIA

OPEN HOSTILITY TO ITALIANS IRAQ PROTESTS TO VICHY INCIDENTS IN FRENCH AFRICA (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 23, 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, September 22. The Cairo correspondent of The Daily Mail says that the situation in Syria appears to be nearing a climax. Tempers in Svria and Lebanon are boiling up as the Italian Disarmament Commission flits about the country, carrying on strange backstairs negotiations with the French. The Italians are shunning publicity because of the open hostility of all sects. Members of the commission have employed as bodyguards huge Senegalese since one member was assaulted.

The Syrians are convinced that the Italians want first to seize the air bases and then take over the administration of the country. The Syrians and Lebanese are turning to Iraq as a possible saviour. Iraq already has formally protested to Vichy and requested the restoration of constitutional government. There is a growing inflationary trend in the note issue of the Syrian State Bank, whose capital of 2,000,000 Syrian pounds is already 7,000,000 and prices are rising rapidly. The Cairo correspondent of The Daily Express says that General Maxime Weygand’s broken army is becoming smaller daily as Syrian troops, refusing to participate in the surrender, disappear into the desert, taking the equipment Italy is trying to obtain.

There is a strong movement to revive the ancient plan to link Iraq and the Syrian Arabs. Iraq called up a new army class last week and great diplomatic activity has been observed in Baghdad. An official spokesman in Vichy admitted that as a result of General de Gaulle’s movement incidents were occurring practically throughout French Africa. Unrest was intense in Syria, Dahomey and the French mandated Togoland. It was expected that the two last-named will join General de Gaulle. The French liner Theophile Gautier has arrived at Beirut to repatriate 2500 French troops. More vessels are expected shortly.