THE NEAR EAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 October 1922, Page 5

THE NEAR EAST.

LLOYD GEORGE’S POLICY. SEVERE CRITICISM. MORE SECRET HISTORY, By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Received Oct. 23, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 22. Writing in the Pall Mall Gazette, General Townshend says Mr. Lloyd George’s Manchester speech will not convince anyone that Cabinet had not committed every blunder in the Near East that time and opportunity permitted. Mr. Lloyd George was responsible for the Greek invasion of Turkey, and the subsequent Greek defeat. British honor suffered severely for the Greek treachery in launching the offensive, of which Mr. Lloyd George was well aware, in the middle of peace negotiations in London.

If it was necessary to land a force at Clianak as a political protest marines and bluejackets might have been employed without costing Britain £30,000,000 for hiring ships and rushing out troops. General Townshend says: “On my return from Angora I gave Mr. Lloyd George a memorandum written after interviews with Kemal, in which the peace acceptable to Kemal was stated. This proves that when Mr. Lloyd George was dramatically calling upon the Dominions to save the Straits and ordering reinforcements he was perfectly aware that the Turks were willing that the Allies should hold the Straits.” He adds: “One reason for the French and Italian withdrawal of troops was Mr. Lloyd George’s announcement that if Kemal advanced on Constantinople the troops would be reinforced without j consulting the Allies. Mr. Lloyd George failed to disclose that he invited the Serbians to send troops to Constantinople, and that the Serbians declined. Such occupation would have set Islam alight immediately.”—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

NEW TURKISH POLICY. HER ECONOMIC PROGRAMME. INDEMNITY FROM GREECE. Received Oct. 23, 11.50 p.m. Constantinople, Oct. 22. Details of the Turkish economic programme filtering from Angora reveal efforts planning the transfer of the Ottoman public debt to Greece as an indemnity.

The National Assembly has disavowed the debts contracted by Constantinople after the armistice and has now decided to wipe out all commercial concessions and contracts, from which foreigners in future will be rigidly excluded. The foregoing, if admitted at the peace conference, will effectively strangle foreign trade. —Reuter Service.