Peace conference gathers in Switzerland
Lausanne, 22 November 1922 – A peace conference has commenced in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Welcoming delegates at the formal opening of the gathering on 20 November, President of the Swiss Confederation, Robert Haab said that his government would be happy to see the conclusion of peace which would deliver a brighter future upon a crushed humanity.
He also expressed the hope that the Greco-Turkish war would be the last act of a horrible tragedy which had destroyed Europe and a part of Asia.
George Curzon, Britain’s chief negotiator, noted that this was the first such conference to take place in a neutral country and he hoped that it would be the last of the conferences needed to conclude peace and reject the memory of the recent war.
The streets of Lausanne were filled with onlookers anxious to catch a glimpse of the delegates who included Curzon, French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré, and new Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
One of the issues raised by the Turkish delegation was that of Russian representation. Mussolini also picked up on the issue, telling journalists that Russia could not be ignored in the reconstruction of Europe. It is being reported, however, that Russia did not respond to an invitation to attend.
The conference has appointed three commissions: one to examine territorial and military questions; one to discuss issues of interest to foreigners in Turkey; and another to deal with financial and economic questions. Presiding over the different commissions will be Lord Curzon (UK), Eugenio Garroni (Italy) and Camille Barrère (France) respectively.
British Pathé newsreel footage of 1922 Lausanne Conference
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
