SOVIET QUARREL WITH JUGOSLAVIA

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25889, 23 August 1949, Page 5

SOVIET QUARREL WITH JUGOSLAVIA

British Newspapers Take Grave View

THREAT OF WAR SEEN IN RUSSIAN NOTE

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) ec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 22. A grave view of developments in the relations between lts ‘ a and Jugoslavia is taken by two national newspapers day One of them, the “Daily Mail,” says: “Hostility has iched such a pitch that an outbreak of war would not be rprising. Russia in fact has gone so far as to threaten war. |W e,s ®. are We to inler P r . et Moscow’s statement that if irshal Tito does not mend his ways she will resort to ‘other d more effective means' to protect her citizens in Jugoslavia d 'bring order to unrestrained Fascist offenders’? "" e can but watch events, remembering that a Russian rasion of Jugoslavia would be a serious threat to British and nencan interests. Under the Truman Doctrine the United ites is pledged to sustain Greece and Turkey.” The Manchester Guardian” says: “The Jugoslavs alone ow whether they are going to overthrow Marshal Tito or L The Cominform has been telling them over and over lin not only that that is what they are going to do but why 5 are going to do it. Like most of the Cominform’s camigns it has an obvious political purpose. It would be isonable, too, to draw the obvious political inference that the mmunists think the time has come to overthrow their former “Now that their Greek allies are in such distress, Marshal «' s continued presence in Belgrade is far more inconvenient their cause than at any time since his heresy became parent.”

he Stockholm Liberal newspaper jiressen.” says that Moscow is 0d.5-• trying to force a coup d'etat. i:ds that the Cominform phalange Jugoslavia is strong, but that it is btful if it has sufficient supporters risk such a venture without help n the other side of the frontier. Marshal Tito can consolidate his ttion —by economic aid streaming torr, the West among other things the opposition delays its action.” ays. "The army is tioped as the ler of any coup against Marshal 1. It has been organised by Mos- ' and is strongly influenced by the cinform. But are its leaders cger than Marshal Tito’s State

Nirs Anna Pauker, the Rumanian Foreign Minister, in a newspaper article yesterday, said: “The day is not far off when the Tito bandits will render an account to the people of Jugoslavia. They will not do business much longer.” The Moscow radio quoted a report from Bucharest yesterday that the Rumanian authorities had detained two members of the Jugoslav Embassy “for distributing Fascist propaganda handbills against the Rumanian democratic regime.”

Moscow newsoapers yesterday carried the full text of the latest Russian Note to Jugoslavia, as well as three articles condemning Marshal Tito. He was described as a Fascist trying to masquerade as a Communist.

GOSLAV REPLY

te Jugoslav Government yester- , admitted that it had conducted stations on Austria with Britain iind the back” of Russia. The adcon was made in the Jugoslav reto the Russian Note of August 12. eh described Marshal Tito's Gov- i rent as an enemy and opponent of Soviet Union. lie Jugoslav Note said that the : ps'.av Government was of the opinthat “the offensive tone of the pan Note does not warrant a re- ■. but it added: “The Jugoslav eminent, however, wants to refer main facts which were completely erred in the Soviet Note for the pose of defending the truth of his- ' on the question of the abandonJ of Slovene Carinthia.” :e Note said that it was not cor- , as the Soviet Note alleged, that Jugoslav Government had recced its claims to Slovene Carinat a time when the Soviet Govsent was still supporting Jugodemands. le Soviet Government, it added, consistently given the Jugoslav eminent the impression that there practically no hope that its claims Id be adopted by the Council of ugn Ministers, and Mr Molotov Mr Vyshinsky had said that they e kept on the agenda only to facili- “ positive solution of the Question jermany property ir- Austria for Soviet Union. le Jugoslav Note said that the ' islav Government not only had . ir renounced and had never slop- j

TO EARLIER NOTE , ped fighting for the incorporation of Slovene Carinthia in Jugoslavia, but ! would never have been willing to give in had it not been for the Soviet Government's demand and because it had Ino other way out. ' The Soviet Government had ceased ito support not only Jugoslav claims lor the incorporation of Slovene Cari inthia but even demands for minor frontier alterations.

Replying to the Soviet allegation that Jugoslavia had conducted negotiations on Austria with Britain “behind the back of Russia.” the Note admitted such negotiations, but said that the approach of the Western Powers had been made at fhe suggestion of Mr Molotov and Mr Vyshinsky.

The Note added that the Soviet Government had promised the Aus- ; trian Government to defend the immutability of the Austrian frontiers—a promise which could not remain unknown to the Western Powers—and then thrust the Jugoslav Government towards those very Powers with the aim of reaching a contrary result. The Jugoslav Note, which was frontpage news in all the Belgrade newspapers. added: “The enemy attitude of the Rusisan Government is known irom the series of Russian Government acts towards Jugoslavia. That attitude is merely the consequence of a campaign which the Russian Government is conducting, and which is not only against the interests of Socialist Jugoslavia, but is damaging to the entire anti-imperialistic world democratic front.”