BALKAN PLANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 October 1939, Page 6

BALKAN PLANS

PARTITION OF RUMANIA

DEADLOCK IN NEGOTIATIONS WiTH TURKEY. DEFENCE OF DARDANELLES. ' By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received This Day, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, October 16. The Associated Press of America Istanbul correspondent says a deadlock is reported in the Rus-sian-Turkish negotiations, owing to M. Saracoglu's refusal of Russian demands for the recognition of the partition of Poland and the formation of a neutral Balkan bloc under Russian and German sponsorship, with partition of Rumania between Russia and Bulgaria. M. Saracoglu insisted on Turkish neutrality if England and France had to fight Russia. He declared that Turkey would join the Allies if Italy went to war in support of Germany and added that Turkey could mobilise two million men. Red Army concentrations in the Caucasus (which Russia denies) would not only threaten Turkey, but the Irak oilfields, one of Britain’s main sources 'of supply. Turkey is preparing antiaircraft exercises in the Dardanelles, following on the transfer of her fleet from the Sea of Marmora to the Dardanelles. Rumanian troops have withdrawn from the Hungarian frontier and are moving towards the Russian border. Four spies taken at Ismir were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for seeking details of the Dardanelles defences.