The Daily News. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1920. THE FUTURE OF TURKEY.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1920, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1920. THE FUTURE OF TURKEY.

No problem which the Allies have to solve as the result of the war presents so many difficulties as that which concerns the future of Turkey. It is because the numerous interests involved are so intricate and far-reaching that negotiations and discussions have necessarily been the subject of prolonged consideration, with the result that the ultimate adjustment of all the points at issue will make the settlement the last of the outstanding peace problems to be solved. The delay has, no doubt, been partially caused by the.irresolution of the United States, Italian, Greek and Bulgarian jealousy, Franco-Arabian friction, Bolshevik i influence in Egypt and India, and ' the ye&ed nrahlams aa&aawiitm;

Armenia, Georgia, Persia, Syria and Mesopotamia. The element ! which requires the most tender handling, by reason of its intimate connection with the well-being of India, is the avoidance of trouble with the Mohammedans. It has been pointed, out that Indian agitation, border warfare, Egyptian riots, Persian unrest and guerilla operations in Asia Minor are links in the Mohammedan chain. Next to that in importance is securing the loyalty and goodwill of the Arabs, but the Aral) problem in Syria is complicated by the fact that while the majority of the population is Arabspeaking, it is not Arab in blood, and has never had either a national consciousness or a national history, while constant trouble arises between the wandering Bedouins and the more settled peasants and merchants. It will be remembered that early in 1915 Russia was promised the annexation of Constantinople, the western shores of the Bosphorus, of the Sea of Marmora and of the Dardanelles, Southern Thraee, part of the shores of Asia Minor, the islands of the Sea of Marmora, and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos, but subsequent events in Russia nullified these concessions. In 1916, an agreement between Britain and Prance recognised an area in Syria and Mesopotamia which was to be entirely under French control, while a small area in Palestine, and the greater part of Mesopotamia, was to be under British control, France and Britain constituting themselves the protectors of the Arabs. A recent cable message states that the Franco-British understanding includes a Syrian agreement and the handing over of Damascus to Franee, while the position relating to El Hejaz has not been reconciled Already there has been trouble m Connection with French control, and it is evident that developments will require very great tact and sympathy. British troops have withdrawn southwards to a line from Beirut north to the Gulf of Alexandretta, with a sphere extending towards the Euphrates, while the hinterland, including Damascus and Aleppo,' comes under' Arab rule under Emir Feisul. According to a cable received last week it is authoritatively predicted that the Allies are determined to remove the Ottoman Government to Asiatic Turkey, thus freeing Europe of the Sul' tan's political power, but no final decision has yet been reached regarding the future of Turkey, though general principles have been agreed upon provisionally as to,the future status of Constantinople and the Straits leading to the Black Sea. Certainly, Turkey will no longer be allowed'to control the Dardanelles. The main problem is the disposal of Constantinople, and the chief factor in the solution is that the Sultan is the supreme head of the Mussulman faith. This necessitates everything possible being done, in settling the new Turkish capital, to avoid offending Moslem susceptibilities. It is difficult to convey an adequate impression of the magnitude of the danger which the spread of Bolshevism towards Persia, Afghanistan and India creates. Its gravity is recognised, especially in view of the possibility of an alliance between the Bolsheviks and the Mohammedans. It is Britain's interests in India and Egypt that are endangered, so that the responsibility of coping with the menace rests on the shoulders of the Empire. British policy—as judged by the past—is to placate the followers of. the Prophet, but they are quite alive to the nature of the crisis and may be expected to prove intractable. The more the problem is studied, the clearer becomes the realisation of the unwisdom of the Allies in allowing Bolshevism to become a world menace. But for this disturbing element a solution of the Turkish problem, difficult as it is, was in the realm of practical polities. Under present conditions a permanent settlement can hardly be expected, and it would seem that Britain and Franee must be prepared to take extreme measures if necessary in order to ensure peace in the Near East. There are ominous signs of trouble in Turkey, Egypt and India, all of Avhich are adverse to the settlement of outstanding problems. The one great danger to be avoided is the exhibition of the slightest weakness by Britain or the Allies in dealing with any disorders that may arise.