Possible Transfer of Syria Mandate to Italy is Discussed in London

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

The possibility of France leaving Syria and transferring the Syrian mandate to Italy, rumored in European capitals, was discussed by the diplomatic correspondent of the “Sunday Express.”

The diplomatic correspondent asserts that notwithstanding the official denials, the question of transferring the Syrian mandate to Italy has figured in informal conversations. The military situation of the French in Syria is so unfavorable and so costly that a short large-scale expedition to Syria to bring about a stabilization of conditions would involve great expenditure, which the French treasury could not sustain. It is difficult to say how the authority of the French in Syria can be maintained longer. The Italians are aware of the desperate predicament in which France finds herself in Syria. The Italian covet Syria as an outlet for Italian enterprise and emigration. An unofficial offer to effect the transfer found ready listeners among the French statesmen and the opinion is held that this offer would relieve Franch of Syria, “the hornet’s nest,” the correspondent declares.