Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence
Signed | 9 September 1936 |
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Signatories |
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The Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence, also known as the Viénot Accords, was a treaty negotiated between France and Syria to provide for Syrian independence from French authority.
History
In 1934, France attempted to impose a treaty of independence that was heavily prejudiced in its favor. It promised gradual independence but kept the Syrian Mountains under French control. The Syrian head of state at the time was a French puppet,
The new Popular Front-led French government then agreed to recognize the National Bloc as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people and invited Hashim al-Atassi to independence negotiations in Paris. He traveled there on 22 March 1936, heading a senior Bloc delegation. The resulting treaty called for immediate recognition of Syrian independence as a sovereign republic, with full emancipation granted gradually over a 25–year period.
The treaty guaranteed incorporation of previously autonomous
Atassi returned to Syria in triumph on 27 September 1936 and was elected
The emerging threat of Adolf Hitler induced a fear of being outflanked by Nazi Germany if France relinquished its colonies in the Middle East. That, coupled with lingering imperialist inclinations in some levels of the French government, led France to reconsider its promises and refuse to ratify the treaty. Also, France ceded the province of Alexandretta, whose territory was guaranteed as part of Syria in the treaty,[1] to Turkey. Riots again broke out, Atassi resigned, and Syrian independence was deferred until after World War II, when the last French troops evacuated in 1946.
Syrian Delegation
Member | Notes |
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Hashim al-Atassi | The head of the delegation, the leader of the National Bloc |
Fares al-Khoury | Representative of the National Bloc |
Jamil Mardam Bey | Representative of the National Bloc |
Saadallah al-Jabiri | Representative of the National Bloc |
Mostafa al-Shihabi | Ministry of Education |
Edmond al-Homsi | Ministry of Finances |
Naim Antaki | Secretary |
Edmonton Rabbat | Secretary |
See also
- History of Syria
- League of Nations Mandate
- Hashim al-Atassi
- French colonial flags
- French Colonial Empire
- List of French possessions and colonies
- Sykes-Picot agreement
References
- ISBN 1885942419)[2]
- Encyclopædia Britannica