On this day 109 years ago, on March 9, 1916 (February 6, 1916 lunar calendar), France and Britain partitioned the Middle East. On March 9, 1916, Britain and France were signing an agreement to divide spheres of influence in the Middle East. In order to plan the partition of the Ottoman Empire between the Allied powers, the British side, Sir Mark Sykes, and the French side, George Picot, were negotiating on behalf of the two great powers. So far, both sides have agreed to cede the Turkish city of Constantinople, the Turkish Strait, and its adjacent areas to Russia, on the condition that Constantinople become an open port and the Turkish Strait should remain open to merchant ships. Russia believes that this arrangement is important for harmonious postwar relations. In exchange, Great Britain would control Mesopotamia and Palestine, while Syria, Adena, Chelia, and southern Kurdistan would come under French jurisdiction. Some Arab areas would be left to the Arabs to govern themselves. But surely the Arabs would govern themselves. But surely the Arabs would be suspicious of the motives held by the Europeans. To underline the importance of this arrangement, the French diplomat Georges Legg commented, "If Syria were under our jurisdiction, we would be free to operate only in the Mediterranean." London's main concern was to eliminate the potential threat from Egypt.