Sivas, November 8th, 1921
The two weeks after the armistice had passed in frantic negotiations between the Grand National Assembly and the sultan's government, time was of the essence with the Paris peace conference about to begin. Negotiations were very much eased from the fact that
Ahmet Tevfik pasha the Ottoman grand visier had already declared at the time of the London conference back in April that the government then in Ankara was the legitimate one. Ahmet Tevfik pasha would become the new grand visier. Nearly every other position would be covered by members of the Grand National assembly with Kazim Karabekir becoming minister of war and Rauf Orbay minister of marine. As had already been agreed Mustafa Kemal would head the delegation to the Paris peace conference.
League of Nations, Geneva, November 1st, 1921 (old calendar)/ November 14th, 1921 (new calendar)
The ambassador's conference of the League of Nations came to session to decide on the border between Greece and Albania that had been left open during the previous Paris peace conference. The point of contention was the area of North Epirus for the Greeks, south Albania for the Albanians that was claimed by both sides. Venizelos, on his way to Paris, had made certain to be present in person for the conference. It very quickly showed that there wasn't going to be an unanimous decision on the matter. But one was not needed. Out of the four great power ambassadors, those of Britain, France, Italy and Japan a majority would suffice for a decision. Just like in 1919 and 1920 Britain and France supported the Greek position and Italy the Albanian position. Japan was indifferent, though relatively sympathetic to Greece, and between backing the British position or backing the Italian position it was not difficult to choose the former, after all Venizelos was as usual
very persuasive. North Epirus was assigned to Greece by a three to one vote of the ambassador's conference. What was not decided was the actual borders of the territory. The Italians having lost their case proposed that the actual border on the ground should be decided in the Paris peace conference that was about to begin. France not wanting to totally alienate them acceded to proposal and the British ambassador had to agree in order to keep the pretension of a united front between the Great War allies.
The Albanians with some Italian prompting rose up immediately at the news with over 20,000 fighters gathering in the Korytza/Korce area to defend it from the Greeks, the Greek E Corps had only 15,000 men as the bulk of the Greek army remained in Anatolia. But the Albanians were not the only ones rising up as Himara raised the Greek flag as soon as the news of the conference reached the town. Within no more than a week all the territory below the Aoos/Vjose river was in open war demanding union with Greece. A number of Greek officers most prominently general Konstantinos Gouvelis, a Royalist who had refused to return to the army, hence deniable by the Greek government, joined the rebels. After all the Venizelist army was one thing, fighting for North Epirus another...
Paris, November 8th, 1921 (old calendar)/November 21th, 1921 (new calendar)
The peace conference begun. Aristide Briand was there in person, after all the conference was taking place in his own capital. Lord Curzon was leading the British delegation and of course Venizelos was leading once more the Greeks. Mustafa Kemal had reached the city a fortnight ago. He had taken a ship from Samsun, still blockaded by the Greeks, to Varna. From Varna a train had brought him through Romania, technically still at war with his country, Hungary, Austria and Germany to the French capital. German nationalists at both Vienna and Munich had given him a hero's welcome, at Munich station he had had to endure a little moustachioed fellow giving a fiery speech in his honour, full of accusing "judeobolsheviks" of stabbing Germany and her true Aryan allies the Turks in the back. Well the man was apparently mad as hell and didn't even understand the Bolsheviks were allies of shorts these days, he'd been no more than a corporal in the war he thought dismissively, but was no doubt charismatic and he didn't mind the adulation. For the German nationalist press, even if he had lost in the end he was a hero who had fought a noble fight for his country, better that than meekly acceding to the Western allies diktats as their own governments had done. Besides any treaty was going to be better than Sevres preserving Turkish independence and her eastern borders. It was more problematic than the German newspapers made it of course, particularly given the territory likely to be lost west... [1]
Paris, December 13th, 1921 (old calendar)/December 26th, 1921 (new calendar)
Greece and Turkey signed a protocol agreeing to an exchange between their Muslim and Christian population respectively. Kemal had demanded a compulsory exchange claiming that any remaining Christian populations in Turkey would solely serve as a trojan horse for further territorial demands on Turkey in the future which was entirely unacceptable. Venizelos after complaining over the compulsory nature of the exchange, all proposals to this point called for voluntary exchanges had complied. It had looked too easy and it had been as the Greek then announced that Greece was willing to take in not only their nationals but also all Armenians remaining in Anatolia or evacuating Cilicia that wanted to settle into Greece. Then he had claimed that there had to be an equivalence between the properties of the Greeks and Armenians leaving Turkey and the Muslims living Greece, in effect one more argument in favour of the Greek territorial claims. Venizelos had then gone further asking for the
Vallahades, the Greek speaking Muslims of Crete and Epirus and the Pomaks in Europe as well as the Circassians and Pomaks in Western Anatolia to be given the option to choose between remaining in Greece or leaving for Turkey. Many of the Circassians and Pomaks in Western Anatolia had formed irregular units that had fought for the Greeks in the war, or changed sides during its course. It wouldn't do for Greece to hand them over to Turkey now. League mandates on Turkish territory were excepted.
Fontainebleau palace January 22nd, 1922 ,old calendar/ February 4th, new calendar
The final peace treaty between the allied powers and Turkey was signed. Even though Kemal had negotiated most of it, he had resigned from his position in the delegation two days ago after he had backed for some of the items already agreed earlier. Whether it had been a ploy to throw the blame of the treaty on the Sivas government, which had instructed her delegation to sign, or a genuine attempt to get better terms would remain a subject of debate. [2]
Selected terms of the treaty of Fontainebleau
1. The Soviet-Turkish border as defined in the treaty of Moscow is confirmed. The Sevres provisions for Kurdist autonomy and Armenian independence are discarded.
2. Constantinople, including the Biga Sanjak becomes a League of Nations mandate for a 30 years period at which point a referendum will determine its future. Within the city the Turkish government to retain control of the Ottoman palaces.
3. Turkey recognises the independence of Syria, Iraq, Arabia and Palestine and the annexations of Cyprus and the Dodecanese by Britain and Italy
4. The Turkish-Syrian border is set to that of the Turkish-French agreement in March 1921. The economic concessions described in the treaty apply .
5. Greece annexes East Thrace, the Smyrna sandjak, the Aydin sandjak north of the Meander, the Magnesian/Manisa sandjak except from the kaza of Esme and the Balikesir sandjak west of the Mekestos/Susurluk river.
6. Italy gains a mandate consisting of the Mougla sandjak and the Cine and Bozdogan kazas of the Aydin sandjak. No later than 30 years a referendum will determine its future. The fate of the Soke kaza to be determined between Greece and Italy.
7. The straits zone is demilitarized, with the exception of League of Nations garrisons and open to all ships
8. The limit of the Turkish army in increased to 100,000 men exclusive of the gendarmerie which is limited to her 1914 size. Turkey cannot possess biological and chemical weapons tanks and aircraft. Her navy is limited to ships no larger than 10,000t. Yavuz to be dismantled but remains in possession of the Turkish government.
9. The Ottoman public debt to be split between Turkey and the states created from her Arab territories. The 1914 law abolishing the capitulations remains in power.
[1] Inspired for Ihring's "Ataturk in the Nazi imagination"
[2] Ismet tried the same at Lausanne, but here the Turkish position is rather worse.
