In the House of Lords on Wednesday Lord Curzon asked
for information on the policy of the Government in the Middle East. Lord Morley said that the Government had no designs on Persia whatever, and that the pressure exerted in connec- tion with the state of the southern roads was only intended to be a stimulus. The results had been good. As to the Baghdad Railway, the Government wished to dispel the mists of suspicion and mistrust. The Turkish Government had regained its liberty of action, within certain limitations, in regard to the Gulf section of the line, and the British Govern- ment, while treating of this matter with Turkey, bore in mind that whatever arrangement was made must be "one to which Germany could be a consenting party." The Berlin correspondent of the Times gave, in Thursday's paper, further information as to the manner in which Turkey may be said to have regained her liberty of action as to the Gulf section. Quoting from the semi-official North German Gazette, he says that three arrangements have been signed at Constantinople. The first of these provides for the financing of the railway to Baghdad, and the second and third give the German company concessions for the line to Alexandretta and for the construction of the port there. There can be no doubt that the concession for a line from Osmanieh to Alexandretta will be more profitable to the German company than the concession for the Gulf section.
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