U.N. DISCUSSION ON BALKANS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 9

U.N. DISCUSSION ON BALKANS

Albanian And Bulgarian Participation U.S. RESOLUTION ACCUSING GREECE’S NEIGHBOURS (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 25. The United States, supported by Britain, demanded at a meeting of the Political Committee of the United Nations General Assembly to-day that Albania and Bulgaria be debarred from participation in the Committee’s debate on the Balkans question unless they agreed in advance to accept the Assembly’s decision. These two countries, non-members of the United Nation*, had applied for permission to be heard. Mr Gromyko (Russia) described the demand as “inappropriate and unnecessary,” adding that it indicated unwillingness to hear Albania and. Bulgaria. Mr Hector McNeil (Britain) said it would be ludicrous to let a man come to Court and obey the decision only if it suited his convenience. The Committee approved the United States resolution by 38 votes to 6, deferring a decision on the subject until Albania and Bulgaria had stated whether they would accept the Assembly’s decision, whatever it might be. Only the Slav bloc voted against it. • Mr Herschel' Johnson (United States) then moved a resolution: (1) finding Albania, Bulgaria, and Jugoslavia guilty of helping the Greek guerrillas; (2) calling upon those three countries to “cease and desist”; (3) calling upon the three countries, as well as Greece, to co-operate in settling the dispute by establishing normal diplomatic relations, entering into frontier agreements, co-operating on the' refugee problem, and studying means for the voluntary transfer of minorities; (4) establishing a special United Nations committee to “observe the compliance of the four Governments”; (5) authorising the committee to call a special session of the Assembly, if necessary, to help to solve the difficulties.

. Mr Johnson said that all American efforts to settle the Balkans dispute in the Security Council, had been blocked by Soviet vetoes. Jugoslavia and Bulgaria had increased their assistance to the Greek revolutionary guerrillas since the Council had first considered the problem and it was a clearly established principle of international law that such aid was a hostile aggressive act. “In the opinion of my Government the Assembly’s decision in this case

will be crucial, both for the existence of Greece as a free and independent nation and for the United Nations itself,” said Mr Johnson. “Failure to protect one small State can only endanger the security of other small States. Failure to face this issue squarely would inevitably lead' to the belief that acts of this kind would be tacitly condoned in the future.” The committee adjourned until tomorrow.