STRENGTH OF BULGARIAN FORCES

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24987, 23 September 1946, Page 5

STRENGTH OF BULGARIAN FORCES

In the Military Commission Mr Dragoumis (Greece) moved an amendment Xo the Bulgarian draft treaty to reduce further the strength of the navy and air force left to Bulgaria. He said that Greece considered the allotment excessive.

ITie draft fixed the size of Bulgaria’s armed forces at: army personnel, 55.000; anti-aircraft personnel, 1800; navy personnel, 3500; navy tonnage, 7250; air force personnel, 5200; aircraft. 90.

Mr Dragoumis withdrew part of his amendment seeking to reduce the army to 35,000. He said the withdrawal was meant to show goodwill and conciliation, but the permitted navy Greece suggested was considerably larger than Bulgaria had before the war. Discussion ensued on whether Bulgaria's 15.000 gendarmerie should be included in the total for the army. British and American delegates said they should, as otherwise they would be illegal under the treaty. Russia opposed their inclusion on the ground that Bulgaria, after becoming a democracy, refused to have gendarmerie Greece then withdrew the part of the j amendment providing for inclusion. [ The rest of the Greek amendment i was defeated by 10 votes to 6. with five abstentions, after the Russian delegate (Rear-Admiral Karpounin) had described the proposal for a naval reduction as “unjust, unobjective, tendentious, undemocratic, and aimed not at increasing Greece’s security but at insulting Bulgaria’s national sovereignty and dignity.” Rear-Admiral Karpounin added that Italy would have proportionately a

much bigger navy than Bulgaria, and could be much more dangerous to Greece than Bulgaria. Admiral Manota (Jugoslavia) said that if the Bulgarian Navy wanted to attack Greece it would have to build a tunnel to the Mediterranean. The four Dominions and India voted with Greece for the amendment. Protection of Jews Britain secured the insertion of a clause, specially protecting Jews, into the Bulgarian treaty. The voting was seven to five, with Britain, America, New Zealand, Australia, Greece, India, and South Africa voting for the amendment, and Wliite Russia, the Ukraine, Russia. France, and Jugoslavia opposing it. Mr • Novikov (Russia) accused Britain of trying to raise the Jewish question in the Balkans to divert attention from Tritish actions in Palestine, from which there came daily reports of arrests and murders. Mr Novikov said: “Britain is trying to use the commission as a lightning rod to divert attention from her acts in Palestine.”

Bulgaria in a written statement claimed that the rights of Jews were protected under her new republican Constitution.