Ottoman Diplomats

Synopsis

Diran Bey reports about his audience, received by King Leopold. He notes that the King started with discussing the general politics in Europe, and had a gloomy and critical view on the situation. The King then addressed the massacre in Syria. According to the information he had received, the massacre was not a question of Islamic fundamentalism, but of rivalries between the Druze and the Maronites. Diran Bey then mentioned that the Maronites possessed Belgian weapons, i.e. carbines from Liège, but that they did not buy them in Liège itself, since that was impossible. The most important reason for the audience, however, was to ask the King to grant a long-term loan (for 30 or 36 years) to the Ottoman Empire. To persuade the King, Diran Bey described the financial problems of the Empire and referred to the most recent journey of the Duke of Brabant, the future King Leopold II, to the Empire. During this journey, the Duke was said to have formally promised the Ottoman Minister for Foreign affairs to do the best he can to make the loan successful. King Leopold acknowledged the Ottomans’ need for a loan, but stated that although the Belgian government was rich, it would not allow him to grant such a loan. He promised that he would use his influence to try to persuade the British government to help the Ottoman Empire.

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