Foreign News: THE NEAR EAST

Mustapha Kemal Pasha has disproved the adage, “Where is a Turk his own master?” by substituting the answer, “In Turkey! ” for the usual retort, “In hell.” These words sum up the fundamental characteristics of Kemal’s policy. He stands today as the Emancipator of Turkey. He has lifted the people out of the slough of servile submission to alien authority, brought them to a realization of their inherent qualities and to an independence of thought and action.

Kemal has stepped from the crucible of conflicting calumnies with an unstained reputation. Some of these wild reports charged him with being anything from a traitor to his country to being a “foreigner.” Kemal is pure Turk (not, as some have said, a Jew) and has proved to the whole world that he is the core of Modern Turkey. He is a fine type of professional soldier, who has earned his laurels by sticking to his calling. Professor Arnold J. Toynbee, in his admirably written book, The Western Question in Greece and Turkey, says of him: “He proved by a personal demonstration that a Turk can be his own master in Anatolia without having to wait for a better world, and under his inspiration the National Movement sprang to life.” Without doubt Mustapha Kemal Pasha is one of the great figures in contemporary history. He stands now against the unseen forces of Western civilization, determined to hold what Turkey has won.

Turk Terms. All the Allied Governments have now received the full text of the counterproposals to the Lausanne Treaty, forwarded by the Angora Government last week.

The extent of the Turkish amendments concern France and Italy more than Britain. The Turks have insisted on further modifications in regard to the conditions under which foreigners will be permitted to reside and do business in Turkey. This is sure to cause France a good deal of concern on account of her large trade interest in the Near East. A request for the island of Castellorizo may also be unwelcome to Italy. Britain, however, seems to be content to settle the Mosul question by direct negotiations, as suggested by Turkey. The Turkish proposal to lift the economic clauses out of the Treaty and reserve them for future discussion, may, however, prove to be a serious difficulty.

In the meantime the Allies in London are deciding the scope of the new negotiations, which are to be regarded as a continuance of the Lausanne Conference. It seems likely that the conference will be held at Lausanne and not in Constantinople, as the Turks suggest.