"The Peace on The Horizon - 70 Years after The World War 2 in the Middle East"(５)

(Japanese Version)

(Arabic Version)

 

By Areha Kazuya

E-mail: areha_kazuya@jcom.home.ne.jp

 

Prologue

 

5. Britain's triple tongue diplomacy during World War I (2)

(2) Sykes-Picot Agreement

The second piece of UK’s "triple tongue diplomacy" following McMahon-Hussein Correspondence was the secret agreement so-called "Sykes-Picot agreement" to divide Arabic territory of the Ottoman Empire by Britain and France (and Russia).

 

British diplomatic advisor Mark Sykes and French diplomat Francois Georges Picot drafted about the division of the Ottoman Empire at the end of 1915 when the victory of the UK, French and their allies became sure. Russia also joined with the secret agreement. Three countries have mutually signed the agreement officially known “Asia Minor Agreement” in May 1916, in Petrograd, Russia. This agreement was generally called "Sykes-Picot Agreement" after taking their names. It was just before the uprising of Hussein, Sharif of Makkah, according to the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (see previous section).

 

In this secret agreement for territorial division, the UK gained Southern Syria and South Mesopotamia.  France became the ruler of Syria, southern Anatolia and Mosul district of Iraq. Russia was given the Black Sea coast. In more detail in the Middle Eastern region, the UK and France divided the Mediterranean coast. From southern Anatolia to Beirut were directly governed by France. France also got the power in the northern Mesopotamian region from Damascus to Aleppo and Mosul. Compared with the current border line, the French power sphere will be from the southern part of Turkey throughout Syria, plus northern Iraq and Lebanon.

 

Meanwhile, the UK controlled directly the area from Baghdad to Basra adding the Kuwait and the south of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. The desert zone spreading from Amman to the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula were under UK’s influence. This area covers Jordan, southern part of Iraq and GCC countries-Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and UAE.

 

Palestine, which became the biggest fire species in the Middle East, was regarded as the co-governorate of UK and France.

 

"Sykes-Picot Agreement" was a product of the competition to acquire the imperial colonies by the three countries of the UK, France and Russia. Unfortunately the interest of Arab nation, who had maintained a moderate peace and order throughout the region for thousands of years, had never been taken into consideration. It was a secret agreement between three empires. Only one year after the signing of the agreement, Russian revolution had broken out in 1917. The secret agreement was revealed by the Soviet revolutionary government. It was natural feeling that the Arabs, who asked for honest fulfillment of the "McMahon-Hussein Correspondence", have shown antipathy against UK & France.

 

(To be continued ----)