ARAB ASPIRATIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 May 1941, Page 6

ARAB ASPIRATIONS

SUPPORTED BV BRITAIN IN SYRIA AND IN LARGER FIELD. DECLARATION BY MR EDEN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.40 a.m.) 1 RUGBY. May 29. In a speech, the Foreign Secretary (Mr Anthony Eden) covered past and 1 present events and concluded by out--1 lining the new economic and social !' system which an Allied victory would ' enable the world to enjoy. Referring I to President Roosevelt’s speech. Mr Eden described it as “a momentous ' world event.” After recalling that this month was the anniversary of the over-running of the Low Countries, and paying .tribute to those gallant nations, Mr Eden turned to Iraq. Reports concerning Iraq, he said, were encouraging and he hoped that very soon Britain would have rid Iraq of the self-constituted dictator, Rashid Ali, after which a basis of cor|dial co-operation in accordance with treaty rights would be established. Britain had no designs of any kind against the independence of Iraq. “Some days ago, I said in the House of Commons that Britain had great sympathy for Syrian aspirations for independence,” Mr Eden continued. “I would like to repeat that now, but I would go further. The Arab world has made great strides since' a settlement was reached at the end of the last war and many Arab thinkers desire for the Arab peoples a greater degree of unity than they now enjoy. In reaching out towards this unity they hope for our support. No such appeal from our friends should go unanswered. It seems both natural and right that the cultural and economic ties between the Arab countries, yes and political ties too, should be strengthened. Britain, for her part, will give her full support to any scheme that commands general approval.”

POST-WAR POLICY. The conclusion of Mr Eden's speech was devoted to an outline of practical ways in which Britain's aim of ensuring a post-war Europe free from want could be attained. “Social security must be the first object of our policy after the war, abroad no less than at s home,” he said. “It will be our wish to work with others to prevent starvaa tion during the post-Armistice period ' and the currency disorders throughout ' Europe and the wide fluctuations of , employment, markets and prices which * caused so much misery in the twenty ' years between the two wars. When 1 peaces comes, we shall make such relaxations of our war time financial arrangements as will permit the revival of international trade on the widest possible basis. We shall hope to see the development of a system of interna-

tional exchange in which the trading of goods and services will be a central feature. To organise a transition to peaceful activities will need the collaboration of the United States, of ourselves and of all free countries which have not themselves suffered the ravages of war. The Dominions and our- . selves can make our contribution to this, because the British Empire will actually possess overseas enormous stocks o'f food and materials which we are accumulating, so as to ease the problems of overseas producers during the war and those of a reconstructed Europe after the war. What has Germany to offer on her side? —absolutely nothing. Under the system of free economic co-operation, Germany must play her part, but here I draw a firm distinction. We must never forget that Germany is the worst master Europe has yet known. Five times in the last century she has violated peace. She must be never again in a position ■to play that role. Our political and military terms of peace will be designed to prevent a repetition of Germany’s misdeeds.”