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Show era ms SYRIAN DESERT i France Trades Lands She Got by Mandate Without Consulting Con-sulting League WASHINGTON, Feb. 21. (By The Associated PrH i The tet of the 'Franco-British eonventlon by which the Syrian desert ll transformed from a French to a British mandate was I received Sunday in official circles and I Is expected to cngngo tlio close attention at-tention of state department officials In connection with the study of the allied tnundaii' In Which the American Ameri-can government ims been concerned. The uaet as concluded between the French and British governments 1 K -oember 23, contains provisions for the settlement of the "problem raised by I the attribution to Great Rrltiln of th mandates for Pa)stln and ftleSO' i j". i . . and by the attribution Franc of the mandate ovr JTyrla and the Lobunnon. all thre. conferred confer-red by tho supremo council of San Reno." M.WDATE SWAPPED The two uhaies of tho treaty which have engaged attention of the Amerl- j can of trials are: Kstabllshment for the first tlmo of I the precedent of a transfer of mandate man-date territory from one power to another an-other by mutual agreement without reference to the Lenguo of Nations, j and acquisition by Oreut Britain of her long cherished dream of an all rail route from the Mediterranean through territory under her eXOlUSive Iollticnl or mllltnrv control. In thi- m. " b uifni f the b mnd'i nes of the rtiandata territories, tho southern south-ern portion of Syria bordering on Palestine, previously alloted to France by the league of nations, is transferred to Oroat Britain itoid provision Is made for the construction of a British Brit-ish rallwav linking Palestine with the Msspotemlan railway system tiirough the Syrian desert, i:Y RAILROAD UN Section three, article 5, provides that the "French government consent to the nomination of a special commission com-mission which, nftrr having examined the ground, mny readjust tho frontier line In the alley of the Yarmuk as far a.s N'aslb bo as to render possible the construction of a British railway with the Rodjaa railway and the valley of the Buphratee, and running within with-in areas under the British man d at) ." Purr of the British all-rail route from India to tho Mediterranean, according ac-cording to advices, was begun secretly during the war and vas being eom-pleted eom-pleted from Quetta In Northern India to central Persia, skirting the Afghanistan Afg-hanistan border. The rail-route from Palestine would cross the Syrian desert, des-ert, and passing through Barsa in southern Mespotamla, would effect a junction with the line completed (mm India to Southern P rsl i. With the transfer of Southern Syria from France to Oreut Britain, according to of-floala of-floala onl the Southern Persian link Is now partially under political oon- ' rol and v. holly under British military ' con trol GERMAN rURKIgfl UNB It la b lleved by officials here that because of the uncertainlty of the Turkish settlement and tlie possibility possi-bility of passing of control of Constantinople Con-stantinople from Oreat Britain plans for the Unking of the projected Md.lerranean to India rallwav route with that part of the British Bagdad! system from Constantinople south will be deferred until the .Near Kaatern situation becomes ss obscure. |