A Flare-Up

The Lausanne Conference took a temporary lease of life when Ismet Pasha, head of the Turkish Delegation, and Eleutherios Venezelos, head of the Greek Delegation, had a verbal tiff. The trouble was over a discussion of a commercial convention. It had been agreed that the convention between Turkey and the Great Powers should last for five years, and only two years for Rumania, Yugo-Slavia and Greece. Ismet Pasha suddenly announced that, as Turkey did not do much business with Rumania and Yugoslavia, he would be willing to let the period stand at two years, but in view of the fact of commercial relations between Greece and Turkey being extremely extended he wanted the convention to be "amended, renewed or annulled after twelve months." Venezelos protested. The sparks flew.

The main questions outstanding are a settlement of the insurance question for the Smyrna fire and the settlement of the method of paying the Ottoman debt -France at present demanding gold, Turkey offering paper money.