GRAVE VIEW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 November 1943, Page 3

GRAVE VIEW

OF POSITION IN LEBANON STILL TAKEN IN LONDON. CRITICISM OF DE GAULLE'S SPEECH. (Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, November 17. A grave view is still being taken of the position in the Lebanon. It is emphasised that the need is for prompt action. “The Times” says: “Worse danger will follow a drift. The. difficulties of decision facing General Catroux are not to be under-rated. The arrest of the President, the Prime Minister, and other Ministers must clearly be revoked.” It adds that, the public dispute between M. Helleu and the French Committee over the placing of responsibility for the decision to make the arrests is widely deplored. The “Daily Telegraph” says in a leading article that unfortunately the proofs of growing resentment against the French action throughout the Arab world do not well accord with the optimism in General de Gaulle’s statement that “the event is only a passing incident.” The “Telegraph” says that by the perhaps ambiguous sentence, “France could not allow troubles prejudicing the strategic position of the Allies to develop in the Lebanon,” General de Gaulle appears to contend that drastic action was necessary for the prevention of unrest which was dangerous to the Allied cause. The paper continues: “It is an unfortunate fact that the unrest has not been prevented; on the contrary, grave troubles have developed all over the Middle East, and it is not certain that General de Gaulle’s speech will help to end them.” A later cablegram says messages from Lebanon arc reassuring. Life in Beirut is said to be settling down again ,and some shops have reopened. The telephone system is back in action jand several Arabic newspapers are expected to resume publication today.