BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24471, 22 January 1945, Page 8

BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

House of Commons Approval

GREEK SITUATION EXPLAINED

(8.0. W.) RUGBY, Jan. 19. An amendment moved by the leader of the Common Wealth Party (Sir Richard Acland) in the House of Commons to reduce the Government credit of £1,000,000,000 was defeated by 340 votes to seven, this being in effect an overwhelming vote of confidence in the Government. The vote of credit to which Mr Churchill had spoken in opening the debate on foreign, affairs was then agreed to. There were loud cheers for the Prime Minister as he left the House. Sir Percy Harris (Liberal), who continued the debate, said that with regard to Greece he was not perfectly satisfied that the change from Mr Papandreou to General Plastiras meant a more democratic government, but we could not take responsibility for the new Ministry once the Regency was established. He was sorry that Mr Churchill had been so severe in his criticism of ELAS. He. had rather over-simplified the issue in describing these armed hands as merely a. Communist organisation. Un to the time of liberation EAM had been a popular movement, drawing support from all sections in’Greece, and it was unfair to minimise the good work thev had done in helping to drive put the Germans. He thought Britain ought not to have to assume responsibility for all the things that had happened, and would happen, in liberated countries. Britain should insist upon her Allies assisting her in dealing with the problems of these countries. Grave Decision Mr L. Hore-Belisha (Independent) said the events in Greece were of more than local significance. They might, foreshadow similar happenings else-* where. All over Europe beneath the surface of the military war political fires were smouldering. The British Government took a. grave decision when it allowed British troops to be involved in domestic strife in a friendly capital; yet the course taken as was now known did not meet with the disapproval of the other principal United Nations. Acting as the Government was in a matter of major policy upon'the world stage it was entitled to the public avowed support of its principal allies. , , Mr Hore-Belisha suggested that better machinery should be devised for reaching united decisions on these matters. To suggest, as had been done, that Britain should not participate in the domestic affairs of an ally was tantamount to saying that she wap concerned only with victory on the battlefield and was not entitled to an opinion as to the system which should replace the void left by Fascism. That would mean that Britain should mere]y drive out the enemy while anybody who had sufficient weapons could come along and reap the fruits of victory. Mr Hore-Belisha said that if it was conceded that Britain had the right to intervene it could not .be called undemocratic to support the Government. If British policy were to put. the Government in Athens or any other liberated country on all fours with, the agencies opposing it there would be no democracy. There would be chaos. Therefore if the British Government were to intervene at all it must intervene on 'the side of law and order. Was it Consistent with the purposes for which Britain had been fighting to allow the proceeds of victory to. be cashed by persons who merely desired power, and showed they had the ability to abuse it? _ . _ . , .. “In these circumstances I. think the Government acted rightly in defying odium and criticism, and rendered a service to the world as a whole, concluded Mr Hore-Belisha Mr Hector McNeil (Labour) welcomed Mr Churchill’s clear statement of the fact that the Government favoured an amnesty. He hoped the Government would get from General Plastiras a clear declaration on the question of an amnesty. If that were done ELAS should not do the wrong they had done by taking hostages. Sir Stanley Holmes (Liberal) argued that by her action in Greece Britain had prevented aggression fostered by Germany from taking possession pi the Greek nation. He hoped Britain should take parallel action in every country as it was liberated. Resistance Movements Mr James Griffiths (Labour) said that the resistance movements had developed in Europe new leaders and new ideas which were going to be of very great importance. He welcomed them and believed that they had a great part to play • in the future. The Labour Party believed that the right thing to do in Europe was to bring the resistance movements into the government the moment their liberation was achieved. Where this had been done there had been no interna] strife. A notable example was France. The Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden), replying, said he hoped the problems which would arise in other liberated countries would not rouse such intense passion as the Greek problem had done. ' “If we are to handle the situation, we do need a measure of patience, understanding. tolerance, and goodwill between the great Allies, and we need something more,” added Mr Eden “The Government has not been tuny satisfied with the existing machinery for international co-operation on the political plane. We have been worried and troubled about this for some time It was we who a year ago. at the Moscow conference, called for further machinery to deal with this and first proposed setting up what now has become the European Advisory Commission, which has done invaluable work. It has, however, neither authority nor representation sufficient tr deal with the problems confronting us. “This issue of the machinery of our collaboration will certainly be among the problems to be discussed at the meeting which rumour has It is to be held at some time or other somewhere. We are prepared to, displace ourselves to any extent to enable the, machinery to function.” Dealing with the situation m Greece Mr Eden said that some members had painted to themselves a picture bearing no resemblance to reality It had not been suggested that EAM did not include numbers of men who had joined for purely patriotic reasons, but it was equally clear that from the early days the leaders of EAM were not prepared to tolerate rivals in the political field. The situation could not be explained on the ground that ELAS was

purely democratic and EDES purely reactionary. Mr Eden said that even before the Gorman withdrawal Britain had reason to think it was the ambition of ELAS to seize control of the country by force. Thq British Government had never been opposed to EAM becoming the Government of Greece, but what it had said and what it said now was that EAM had no right to do so except through the ballot box. Many within ELAS itself did not like the ambition to seize power. When the fighting broke out in Athens, all the more moderate elements flaked away. EAM did not now exist at all. excgpt for Communist remnants. Parliamentary Visit Mr Eden said that within the last 24 hours the Government had suggested that the party of British Parliamentarians now in Italy should' go to Greece to get information about the situation there. The Government was also quite ready as the opportunity offered for a further delegation from the House of Commons to visit Greece. The Government had nothing to hide about the situation. In fact, if members had seen what Mr Churchill himself had seen, a lot of the suggestion of criticism in the House would never have been made. Mr Eden said that EAM went back on the agreement it had signed for the disarmament of all guerrilla forces and later refused to sign the draft decree circulated by Mr Papandreou to his colleagues providing for the disarmament of' the EAM police. The EAM Ministers refused to ratify the decision and resigned. , , “It ’■ ray contention that it is over this issue of the EAM police that the break occurred, and it is this police itself which was largely responsible for the taking of hostages and the methods of their custody," said Mr Eden. "During the long negotiations about a truce, when every effort was being made to get an agreement, the ELAS representatives said they could not release the hostages, because they could not answer for the action of the EAM police who had taken these hostfines Arrests In Athens “As far as any arrests we made in Athens are concerned, the decision has been taken as the result of an agreement between Lieutenant-General Scobie and the Greek Government that all civilians arrested by the British forces for bearing arms against us should be released, except those who will' be exchanged to fulfil the agreement reached with them. As far as arrests by the Greek Government are concerned, it has already been made clear that prosecutions will he instituted against those who violated the penal code or rules of war, and those who were charged with such crimes as murder, rape, and looting. In other words, the bearing of arms against the State will not in itself he regarded as a crime, and will not be punished. “There is no question of hostages being held either by the Greek Government or ourselves. We have not got one. I now demand in the name of all parties in this House that, ELAb shall release those hostages forthwith, said Mr Eden. . . On the question of warrants having been issued for the arrest of prominent ELAS and- EAM leaders. Mr Eden explained that the story he had been shown had been due to an error by a police interpreter. The British Ambassador (Mr R. W. A. Leeper) had obtained from the Greek Foreign Minister a personal assurance that no suen warrants had been issued Mr Eden said General Plastiras had specifically authorised him to tell the House that he had his earlier statement that action woifia be taken only against those guilty ox crimes against the penal code.

Decorations For General Blarney.— Two decorations for General Sir Thomas Blarney, Commander-in-Chief of the Australian have been announced. They are the American Distinguished Service Cross and the Greek Military Cross.—Sydney, January 20.

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE NOT WANTED

BRITISH INTERESTS DEFINED

(Rec. 9,30 p.m.) NEW The British Minister to Washington (Sir Gerald Campbell), in a speech, said that Britain’s objective in Greece was the speedy restoration of economy and general prosperity. She had no ambition to establish a sphere of influence to the exclusion of other Powers. “However legitimate our interests may be in having a strong, stable government in the Mediterranean, some quarters have criticised Britain for acting alone in Greece at a time when bilateral, quadrilateral, and multilateral action is the crying need in the world to-day.” said Sir Gerald Campbell. “Great Britain, however,’ is so constituted that when she sees a situation which can become desperate if not tackled, she throws herself in head, body, and legs, with or without other members of the team.”