JUGOSLAV CLAIM TO TRIESTE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24867, 6 May 1946, Page 5

JUGOSLAV CLAIM TO TRIESTE

“The Big Four Foreign Ministers spent nearly three hours to-day (Saturday) discussing the ItalianJugoslav frontier, but failed to reach agreement.” said Reuter’s Paris correspondent. “Mr Molotov stated that the Russians considered the Jugoslav claims well founded and just He criticised the British. American and French suggestions for the frontier line, which he said would •punish’ the Jugoslavs who were *their allies. “Mr Molotov, admitting that Trieste

was ethnically Italian, demanded that the city should be turned over to Jugoslavia because it was necessary to. and dependent on. the surrounding countryside which was ethnically Jugoslav.” The Associated Press correspondent in D aris. Quoting British sources, says f'-’* Mr Bevin and Mr Byrnes hotlv

denied Mr Molotov’s suggestion that the border lines proposed by Britain, America, and France would constitute “punishment” of Jugoslavia. They pointed out that Jugoslavia under the British, American, and French proposals would obtain Fiume. 18,900 square miles of new territory, and 375.000 inhabitants. After M. Bidault had pointed out that the Boundary Commission had been instructed to draw the border lines on ethnic grotinds. Mr Molotov suggested ..that the Council should take

a decision on the general principle and allow experts to study details later. Mr Bevin said the British delegation had not yet made up their minds which of the three suggested the British, the American, or the French—was best, but he thought the French line probablv ”an closest to the ethnic frontier