Greece and Turkey: The Regime of the Straits, Lemnos and Samothrace (review)

Reviews 157 Domna Dontas, Greece and Turkey: The Regime of the Straits, Lemnos and Samothrace. Athens: Eleftheroudakis. 1987. Pp. 256 4- 2 maps. Dr. 2500. Domna Dontas, Director of the Historical Archive of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is well known for her work on Greek diplomatic history. In her latest book she provides a detailed account of the development of Greek-Turkish relations between 1919 and 1936, the interest of Greece in the Straits Question, and the events leading to the Convention of Montreux in 1936. Her study is based on unpublished documents from the Historical Archive of the Greek Foreign Ministry, the British Foreign Office, the Archives of the League of Nations in Geneva and the Archives of the Quai d'Orsay in Paris. It is accompanied by two superb maps of the Straits under the Treaty of Sèvres and under the Convention of Lausanne and by five appendices which include the main sections of the Treaty of Sèvres and the Conventions of Lausanne and Montreux. A very useful and timely book which appeared in the wake of the renewed Greek-Turkish dialogue between the Prime-Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Ozal. The author's main concern is to prove unfounded the view that the Convention of Montreux does not allow the militarization of the islands of Lemnos and Samothrace by Greece. The closing of the Straits in 1914 convinced the Allies that free passage through the Straits to the ships of all nations should be established under international guarantee. This principle was included in the abortive Treaty of Sèvres (10 August 1920); at the Conference of Lausanne (24 July 1923), which was called to revise it, the principle of free passage of the Straits was adopted and guaranteed by the Powers but provisions were made for the demilitarization of certain zones and the limitation of the size of naval forces permitted to enter the Black Sea. This arrangement was not welcomed by Turkey or Greece: Turkey wanted to regain full control over the Straits, while Greece wanted to secure the military control of the Greek islands of Lemnos and Samothrace. At the time, the two countries were more suspicious of the ambitions of Italy in the Eastern Mediterranean than of each other's designs. As a result of the support of the big powers and the Pact of Friendship with Greece (1930), Turkey was able to convene the Conference of Montreux where, in effect, the Convention of Lausanne was completely revised and a new convention signed on 20 July 1936. As a consequence, the demilitarization clauses of the Lausanne Convention were obsolete (Article 4 [3]) and replaced with a new regime for the Straits. Immediately after the signing of the Convention, Turkey remilitarized the Straits and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos, thus 158 Reviews obtaining freedom of action in the Straits, while Greece remilitarized the islands of Lemnos and Samothrace with no objections from the other powers. As the author concludes, "This convention . . . remains in full force in all details concerning not only the Turkish Straits but also the Greek islands of Samothrace and Lemnos" (p. 151). Dontas should be congratulated for her crisp and convincing account of a still controversial issue. The monograph, written in English and based on valuable archival material, should become an important reference for diplomats dealing with the Greek-Turkish negotiations and for all those concerned about policy in the Eastern Mediterranean. Lily Macrakis Regis College Glefkos Clerides, Cyprus: My Deposition. Nicosia: Alithia Publishing Company. 1989. (Volume I.) Pp. 474. $30.00. Taki Ch. Eudokas, "Εγώ Είμαι η Κϕπϕος" —H πϕώτη πεϕίοδος της κυπϕιακής δημοκϕατίας. Nicosia: Tamasos Publishers. Pp. 263. These two books represent recent additions to the literature on the politics of the Cyprus problem. Both are memoirs of persons active in Cypriot politics; Clerides has been involved in mainstream Cypriot politics since pre-independence days and Eudokas in the conservative fringe mainly in the 1960s and 1970s. Clerides, a British educated lawyer, has practiced law in Cyprus since 1951, and served in various government posts, including that of the President of the House of Representatives ( 1960—76) and of interlocutor in the intercommunal talks (1968-76). He was the founder...