NATIONAL CONGRESS PHONE CARD

ERZURUM CONGRESS (23 July - 7 August 1919); In the Erzurum Congress, held on July 23, 1919 with 56 delegates, from Erzurum, Sivas, Bitlis, Van and Trabzon Mustafa Kemal was elected as the president by consensus and the following decisions were taken:

• The country within the national boundaries is a whole.

• An interim government will be formed in the event of the failure of the Ottoman Government to safeguard the independence of the country.

• This government will be elected by the national congress or the Council of Representatives.

• Mandates and protectorates cannot be accepted.

Then the Council of Representatives, consisting of Mustafa Kemal, Rauf Bey, Raif Efendi, Izzet Bey, Servet Bey, Şeyh Fevzi Efendi, Bekir Sami Bey, Sadullah Bey and Hacı Musa Efendi was formed on August 7, 1919, then preparatory works for Sivas Congress were started.

SİVAS CONGRESS (4-11 September 1919); The Sivas Congress was held on September 4, 1919 with the contribution of the Council of Representatives and new elected 38 delegates, at Sivas Sultanisi building under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The structure and programme of the organization which would guide the War of Independence and the subject whether we would accept American mandate were discussed. The congress published a bullletin on September 11, 1919 covering the following decisions:

• The regions of the country within the national boundaries are a whole, they cannot be separated from each other.

• If the Istanbul Government, facing with an external pressure, is forced to abandon any part of the country, it must be resisted against it.

• On the condition that foreign countries recognize the National Independence and unity of our country, their economic, industrial and technical assistance will be accepted.

• The Istanbul Government should recognize the national willpower like the other civilized countries, and
gather the Committee of Representatives immediately; the activities of the government must be controlled by that Committee.

• The national societies throughout the country would be united under the name "Society for the Defence
of the Rights of Anatolian and Thrace. And the existing local socities would be subsidiaries of this Society.