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PEACE CONGRESS.

NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION. ALLIES' TERRITORIAL CLAIMS. . THE CASE FOR THE HEDJAS. (From R. Riley, Official Journalist), [No. XII.] Paris, Feb. 27, 1919. "God helped the Arabs and the British sent them material assistance." Such was at the bearing of the Arabs' claims before the Council of the Allied and Associated Powers the simple explanation of the success of the Arab revolt against violent Turkish oppression for four hundred years. , The claims of the Hedjas should be of considerable interest to New Zealand, since many of her dashing troopers rode with the Arabs from Jericho to far Damascus, driving the Turk from the Jordan to beyond the hills of Lebanon.

The case for the Hedjas was submitted to the Council of the Powers by Emir Feisal, son of the King of the Hedjas, hereditary Governor of Mecca —a position held by the family for 800 years. The interesting statement was made in Arabic, "an ancient and honorable tongue and the language of an ancient and honorable people." It would not be politic, even if it were possible, to give a full account of the Emir's statement, but it may be recorded that the Arabs sought the independence of all the Arabic speaking peoples in Asia, from the line Alexan-dretta-Diarbekir southward, on the basic grounds that this area was once the home of important civilisations, its natural frontiers ensured unity, its inhabitants were of one stock and spoke one language, and its people were still able to play their part in the world. In addition, the Arabia speaking peoples had fought on the side of the Allies in the time of greatest stress, and had fulfilled all their promises. The Arab army had fought to win its freedom, tiad lost 20,000 killed, and had been promised independence. Their blood, the economic ruin of the country, and the massacre among the civil population deserved recognition. They aiked for the fulfilment of the Allies' promise. The Arabs were not looking for an Empire : they desired freedom from Turkish tyranny. It was explained that the Arabs realised how much their country lacked development, but they wanted it to be the link between East and West to carry Western civilisation to Asia without closing their doors to civilised people. Religious differences had been triumphed over in the Hedjas army, and the first efforts of the Arab Government would be to maintain this welding of the faiths, in the common service of the principle of nationality. Palestine, because of its universal character, could be left on one side for the mutual consideration of all parties interested. If the principle of nationality were admitted, it was desired that the various provinces, on the principle of self-deter-mination, should be allowed to indicate to the League of Nations the assistance they required. Perhaps an international inquiry as to the desires of the people might be the easiest and quickest way of determining their wishes. The Arabs had put 100,000 men into the field, and the Arab Government had been organised in the firing line. As regards mandatory control, it must be for the Arab people to declare their wishes. Their representatives at the Peace Conference were there to ask for independence, and the right to choose their own mandatory. Arab unity was the main aim, and there was danger in partition. They asked for freedom only and would take nothing less. They iiad suffered centuries of slavery, and had seized the chance of emancipation. None of the great Powers know what slavery meant. The Arabs had tasted it, and were determined never to return to it.

The war services of the Hedjas Arabs were reviewed in detail, and it was mentioned that the Arab forces had advanced 800 miles in 14 months to the north and had cut the Hedjas railway south of Maan, an important military achievement, as the Turkish army at Medina had threatened the rear of the Arab forces. The Arab army had also cut the three railways at Deraa two days before General Allenby's attack which eventually led him to Damascus. The Arab army and the British forces entered Damascus together, and from that point the Arab revolt spread like a flame to Latalcia which was entered by the Arabs the day before the French entered Bevrcut. The Arab forces were the first to enter Aleppo. But all the time the Arab plan was subordinated to General Allenby's, and never had the Arabs attempted to shine by themselves, or to do anything spectacular. They had taken 40,000 prisoners, and delivered them to the Allies. It was not necessary to add anything to General Allenby's praise of the Arab troops. The action of the British troops was beyond praise, as was also the service of the French detachment, whose artillery work had been wonderful. The Arabs' claims have not yet been disposed of by the Conference! NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION. EUROPEAN TERRITORIAL CLAIMS, POLAND AND BELGIUM. (From H. Riley, Official Journalist.) * Paris, March 8, '' The colossal work and responsibilities of the Tntcr-Allied Peace Conference may' be indicated rather than gauged by a summary of the scope and varied character of the almost innumerable claims heard by the Supreme Council of the Allied and Associated Powers, for territoral concessions and adjustments arising out of the war, the defeat of the Powers and the consequent emancipation of many : small nations in Europe, and the tangle of greed apd tyranny in past centuries. The questions of general settlement involved careful consideration of military, naval, political, ethnological, and economic interests, and the tortuous way of the Council was strewn with pitfalls and delicate difficulties.

The scope of the claims may be outlined under the following main geographical divisions—a list which, in itself, gives the unparalleled range of the great war:—• Territorial adjustments were sought in Western Europe, South-Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean, including the future of Turkey and the settlement of the important question of the control of Constantinople and the famous Straits, the Turkish Empire in Asia (Anatolia, Armenia, Syrjs, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, Nejd, and Arabia), Persia, Trajis-Oaucasia, TransCuiapia, Africa (North, Equatorial. Soutfe-

East, and South-West), Japan, Russia, and the South Pacific. In the divisions of Western Europe and South-Eaatern Europe alone, the Council had a tremendous task, the claims of Poland, Belgium, and France on the one hand and on the other the claims of Italy, Jugoslavia, Albania, Roumauia, Greece, and Czecho-Slovakia providing matter for half a dozen ordinary international conferences. To give anything like an adequate review of the varied and always interesting demands for national rights and territorial, adjustments would require a few volumes and much leisure to write them. Here one can give only a balii summary of the numerous claims. POLAND. - The claims of Poland were especially interesting, for the reason that the position of this devastated, but now very hopeful, country was unique, being at the time its claims were heard still threatened on three sides —by the 80lEbeviks on the east, by the Ukrainian bands on the south-east, and by the Germans on the north-west. The problem of the Conference, therefore, was, not only to settle the future of Poland by giving scope to the national aspirations of a liberated people with keen memories of a bitter past and lofty ambitions for a great future, .but to organise them to resist menace in different forms, and particularly to keep the country from becoming submerged by Bolshevism, Which, by the way, was described on one occasion at the Peace Conference as "a disease which 1 only attacks hungry and conquered peoples." The Polish representative tdld a moving tale as regards the history of Poland, but brightened the picture • \vith details of the spirited national movement. The story must be told elsewhere and by another writer. Enough to say that the Polish nation suggested that the future of their country should be viewed from the standpoint of a League of Nations, and helped to govern itself and to oppose oppression. As regards the question of boundaries; the crucial issues turned upon the possession of Danzig, its hinterland, and the eastern frontiers. Poland must have an outlet to the sea, or forever depend economically and politically on Germany. The Polish claims were teferrqd to a special commission.

BELGIUM. The territorial claims of Belgium ar : tho only claims which can be adequately* summarised in a single sentence. Belgium claimed the revision of the treaty of April 19, 1839. It was that treaty which fixed her territorial status, set up her permanent neutrality, and sowed the poisoned seed for the deadly harvest in 1914. The Congress of Vienna added Belgium to Holland in order to ereate a buffer against France. Fifteen years later.the Belgian Revolution threw off Dutch rule and shook the foundations of the treaty of 1815. Then the Conference of London sought to reconcile Belgian independence with the interests of the five great Powers, and also to preserve the balance of power, but during the negotiations Holland attached and vanquished Belgium. The subsequent treaty deprived her of Limburg and part j of Luxemburg. The compensation, was j a guarantee of permanent neutrality upon which rested the whole of ,Belgium's political structure. It was built on shifting sand. ' The recent war swept the foundations away. Only France and Great Britain loyally fulfilled their obligations. Germany and Austria' had violated their treaty, and Russia could not keep it because of troubles of her own. So the balanco of power had been upset. Belgium, therefore, appealed for aid to set up a strong and prosperous country with complete political and economic sovereignty—a demand in alignment with the seventh point of the President's declaration to Congress on January 8, 1918. Belgium sought, moreover, stability at the sensitive point of Western Europe, where danger had always threatened like a thii?. The representatives of Belgium also mads specific claims in respect of the disposal and sovereignty over the Western Scheldt as far as the sea, the canal and port of Terneuzen, and <?ertain concessions involving, interests in Limburg and Luxemburg. These claims also wer« referred to a special commission."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19190501.2.61

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1919, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,678

PEACE CONGRESS. Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1919, Page 7

PEACE CONGRESS. Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1919, Page 7

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