Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [‎160v] (324/380)

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Nevertheless, it will be well to bear in mind (a) that the population is Greek, and
(b) that we have already offered the island to Greece during the war, and that at a
time when Greece was not yet an ally or a belligerent. ^
His Majesty’s Government are not, indeed, called upon to make any sacrifice of terri
tory which is legitimately under British sovereigntv. It is only if a political situation
should arise in which it would be useful for His Majesty’s Government to have in hand
a pawn convenient for negotiating a general settlement that a possible cession of
Cyprus to Greece might come up for consideration. To what extent, however, such
cession would aftect important strategical interests of this country is a question which
could only be answered by the naval and military authorities. In this connection it
may be noted that, when the functions of an “assisting Power” are defined, it must
be laid down clearly that an invitation to provide assistance shall not carry with it the
right to make use of strategic points in the assisted country. For instance, if France
assists Armenia (see below), there must be no question of a French naval base being
established at Alexandretta.
(v.) Armenia.
i he general principle of “ self-determination ” applies to Armenia, but in this
particular case the principle of “ equal rights for all nationalities ” should take
priority, since throughout the country there is a mixed population with divergent
economic interests and traditional feuds, which cannot be got rid of so easily as the
Turkish administration that fomented them. The maintenance of this principle should
be the first duty of the mandatory Power.
It would be expedient to extend the area of Armenia as widely as possible, so as
to include all territories north of the Arab boundary in which there is a mixed
population of lurks, Armenians, and Kurds. This would at the same time conduce
to a stable settlement, and would indirectly be of advantage to His Majesty’s
Government. The choice of a mandatory virtually lies between France and America.
If branee were chosen, she would obtain a sphere of activity in this direction far wider
than that accorded to her under the Agreement of 1916 (see the boundaries of the Blue
Area), and this should make her more ready to forgo her claims, under that Agreement,
in Syria, in case these claims were not confirmed by the choice of the Syrians
themselves. It would be to our advantage, for the same reason, to encourage Russian
Armenia to unite with Turkish Armenia under a single regime, and to favour the
extension of French assistance to the other Caucasian countries, which will be in need
of help from outside and will hardly be able to obtain it from Russia.*
The attitude of the Armenians may be gathered from the communication recently
addressed to the French and the British Governments by their National Delegation at
Paris. They claim the right to set up an independent Armenian State under the joint
protection of the “Allied Great Powers,’’j - one of whom is to be aske<i to act as a
mandatory “ for the organisation and administration of the new State for a term of
years. An organic statute drawn up by the Protecting Powers would lay down the
main lines of the administration of the new State during the period of transition,
sanctioning the convocation of a Constituent Assembly, at a date approximately
defined, which would determine the form of government to be adopted permanently,
subject to the approval of the Protecting Powers. The provisional administration to
last long enough, but only so long, as will be necessary to enable the survivors of the
deported Armenians, and Armenians from other parts, to return to their ‘ National
Home.’ ”
The principle of equality for all elements in the population is not disputed. On
the other hand, in settling the proportional claims of these various elements to a voice
in the government of the country, it should be laid down in Armenia that the dead and
the exiles should be taken into account, and Armenian immigrants from other parts of
the world into Armenia should be given the same facilities as Jewish immigrants into
Palestine (see below) for settling down in their ancestral homes.
(vi.) Arab Countries in General and Kurdistan.
We should apply the general principles of self-determination and free choice of
assisting Power, and should ask King Husein formally to accept these principles in lieu
of the territorial boundaries of “ Arab Independence ” which we are pledged to him to-
* !^e<* memorandum by Sir Eyre Crowe, circulated to tlie Eastern Committee,
f Presumably this formula is intended to include the United States.