Soviet Threat Of “Retaliation”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29608, 2 September 1961, Page 11

Soviet Threat Of “Retaliation”

(N.Z.P. A .-Reuter—Copyright) ATHENS, September 1. Russia has threatened “retaliatory measures” unless Greece withdraws from a N.A.T.O. exercise in the eastern Mediterranean next month.

The warning was contained in the “Soviet News,” an official bulletin circulated by the Soviet Embassy in Athens. The bulletin referred to a formal protest made by the Soviet Charge d’Affaires (Mr Nicholas Salnove) on Wednesday to the Greek Act. ing Foreign Minister (Mr Constantine Tsatsos). The bulletin said: “Military manoeuvres held close to the frontiers of the socialist countries cannot but be regarded as hostile displays of force.” It added: "The Soviet Union and the other socialist countries will be compelled to adopt the retaliatory measures imposed by these circumstances. “The Soviet Union hopes that the Greek Government will not tolerate such an evolution of events which might become the source of undesirable repercussions for the cause of peace in the Balkans.” The N.A.T.O. exercise will include United States Sixth Fleet landings in Turkish territory near the Bulgarian border. Greek troops will join in this operation.

In Copenhagen last night a spokesman for the Danish Foreign Ministry said Mr Khrushchev had also sent a Note to the Danish Prime Minister (Mr Viggo Kampmann) on the proposed joint Danish - German N.A.T.O. Command in the Baltic, the British United Press reported. Earlier last night, the Danish Government gave its conditional consent to the creation of a N.A.T.O. command of defence forces in Denmark. The unified command, was to coma into effect only in the event of war, the Government said, and Denmark’s traditional refusal to allow nuclear weapons on her soil was to be unchanged. The Government requested that one-third of the mixed military staff be Danish officers, the balance being divided equally between officers from Germany and other N.A.T.O. countries. There had been a threat ot a Government split over the proposal. The final decision of the Radioal Party on whether to stay in the Government will be taken at a meeting of its National Council today.