'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎200r] (397/501)

5
country is the fear that they may take part in risings in the future ? Risings in a
country which has just been occupied and not yet settled are a very common
occurrence. I could say a good deal about the rising in Irak of the year before last.
I could tell a good many stories about the Turkish propaganda which brought it about,
and I could even give the names of those responsible. It was the first experience
which the people of that country had had of an orderly administration, with the due
collection of taxes to be spent for the welfare of the] people. That was quite a novel
experience, and, I can well believe, unpopular with a good many. It took place in the
transitional period before the Arab Government was set up. Since that rising has been
subdued we have not had any further trouble of that description.
I will deal very briefly with the two other arguments which were employed by
Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. for the severance of the Mosul Vilayet from Irak; the economic and
strategic arguments. I was really astonished to hear his Excellency say that Mosul is
commercially identified with Anatolia Peninsula that forms most of modern-day Turkey. . Now what are the facts, which everybody
knows? 1 he whole of the trading relations of Mosul are either with Aleppo and Syria
to the west or with Bagdad to the south. The whole of the exports of the Mosul
Vilayet—grain, wool, hides, tobacco—either go down the river to Bagdad or else go to
the west into Syria. Bagdad, as everybody knows, is mainly fed by wheat which comes
down the river from Mosul. i hen as regards imports, the piece-goods from Europe, the
tea, sugar and coffee which are vital to the life of tiie people of Mosul do not come from
Turkey, they do not come from \ an or Diarbekir, they come into the country by the
routes which I have described. You have only got to read the commercial statistics of
the districts so far as tney are available in order to establish this very elementary fact.
On the point of strategy Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. said very little, and perhaps wisely ; he
confined himself to saying that if the Mosul Vilayet was returned to Turkey the
lurkish Government might be relied upon not to have any hostile intentions. Let us
see what that means. Let us suppose that 1 yielded to Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and said he could
have back the Mosul Vilayet. It is a rich country. Mosul would be an excellent place
for an army corps to be stationed and, no doubt, would make a first-class military
station. The southern frontier is only 60 miles from Bagdad. Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. has
suggested that the Jebel Hamrin will make a good defensive boundary. But it is well
known that this is not a great range of mountains, but merely a senes of rolling downs.
Is it not obvious that a lurkish army placed at Mosul would have Bagdad at its mercy,
and could cut off the wheat supply almost at a moment’s notice ? It could practically
reduce Bagdad by starvation. Moreover, it would be able to cut the line which runs to
Khanikin, one of the main trade routes of the Eastern world. Thus it could make an
Arab kingdom well-nigh impossible. I would not care to be on the throne of Bagdad
if I had a l urkish army within 60 miles of me. Only a few months ago, when dealing
with 1 brace and Constantinople, it was proposed to put the Thracian frontier at 80 miles
from Constantinople; the Turkish Government then said that it was quite impossible
for them to accept so great a danger to their country and capital ; that the frontier
must be pushed further back, and that they must be given the whole of Eastern Thrace
to secure their safety. Yet they come here and argue that it would be no danger to
Bagdad to have the frontier brought down to 60 miles from the capital. I do not
dispute for a moment the present very genuinely friendly intentions of the Turkish
delegation, but it only needs a slight study of history to know that a powerful military
nation like the Turks, if they were allowed to occupy the position they now claim,
would probably bring about the extinction of the Arab kingdom at no distant date.
“ I was rather surprised to hear Ismet Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. lay stress upon the argument relating
to the position in Mosul at the time of the armistice of Mudros. During the last few
weeks he has been contending that the armistice of Mudros has been wiped out and is
not worthy of consideration and that everything ought to date from the Convention of
Mudania which was concluded only three months ago. But to-day he based his
argument upon the allegation that on the 31st October, 1918, when the Mudros
armistice came into force, the British forces were not in occupation of the greater part
of the Mosul \ ilayet and therefore we could not claim to retain it. Let me give him
the facts. The armistice was concluded on the 30th October, 1918. The news of it
did not arrive in the remote districts of Mosul until the 1st November in the following
week. On the 30th October the British forces were already in occupation of Altun
Keupri, Kirkuk, lauk, Tez Khurmati, &c.. the principal Turkish towns in the vilayet.
On the 1st November, before the news of the armistice had arrived they were 13 miles
outside Mosul city. On the 3rd November they occupied the town, where there were
only one Turkish regiment, 850 rifles, 100 sabres and a few guns. The Turkish
commander did not receive the full terms of the armistice till the 4th November ; on
[220 cc—2] C

'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎200r] (397/501)

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'Mosul Question, Lausanne 1922-1923 and after - Papers, despatches, speeches - Hotel de la Mer at Lausanne - Correspondence about oil' [‎200r] (397/501)

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