Foreign News: Zones

The Turkish Government has undertaken the Augean task of unscrambling the populations of the Near East. Most of Turkey’s racial troubles in the past arose from the inextricable intermingling of Turks, Arabs, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Georgians, Circassians, Armenians. The Government announced the establishment of zones, forbidden to racial minorities. These zones lie on the frontiers. Armenians are segregated out of Turkey. Arabs are forbidden the vilayets on the Syrian and Mesopotamian frontier. Georgians are forbidden the Kars and Ardahan eastern frontier, near Georgia. Greeks are restricted to Constantinople. Only Kurds are allowed villages speaking their own language. In other villages, non-Turkish minorities are restricted to 10%. Even gypsies are restricted to certain assigned districts. The total transfer of population involved is under 200,000.