47. Lieut.-Colonel MALONEasked the Prime Minister whether France has now control of the railways from Salonika to Constantinople, and from Damascus to Taurus; and whether French interests and influence in Turkey are still subject to the approval of the Allied Council?
§ The PRIME MINISTERIn. reply to the first part of the question, the position. is I understand, as follows:—From Salonika to the Greek frontier the railway is administered directly by a French company; from the frontier on to Constantinople through Bulgarian and Turkish territory it is controlled by a French Military Officer responsible to an Inter-Allied Commission in Constantinople. From Damascus to the Taurus the railway is the property of a French company as far as Aleppo, and beyond that is part of the Baghdad railway. It is at present under French control, though I have no precise information as to the relationship between the control officers and the Arab administration in the Arab area. As regards the last part of the question, the French Government continue to act in accord with the other Allied Powers.