GREEK DEADLOCK STANDS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30829, 14 August 1965, Page 15

GREEK DEADLOCK STANDS

(N .Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) ATHENS, Aug. 13. Greece’s deepening political crisis remained deadlocked today as King Constantine faced a stiff ultimatum from the Prime Minister he dismissed. Mr George Papandreou. ' The ultimatum was: “Re- ' appoint me as Prime Minister—or call general elections.” Mr Papandreou delivered his ultimatum during an audience with King ConstanI tine in the royal palace last night. With it he extinguished a thin glimmer of hope that he ; might compromise and let some other man lead the country out of the month-old 1 | crisis. “Extremely Serious” ■ Only a few hours before; Mr Papandreou saw the King: he was reported favouring a i transitional government head-' ed by some figure outside Parliament. But. after the audience last night, Mr Papandreou; said he had told King Con-! .stantine that the only way; out of the crisis was to re-i

appoint him or call elections. Political observers consider the new turn of events extremely serious. They said King Constantine is against calling elections because they would only develop into an anti-monarchy dispute. In Athens last night 2000 students massed outside the

university and 3000 Left-wing building workers gathered, yelling pro-Papandreou and anti-royalty slogans. In Salonika, 8000 youths marched through the main streets of the city calling different slogans—“ Long Live the King. Long Live the Nation. Long Live Greece." The Salonika meeting was

in sharp contrast to most of the rallies since the Greek crisis began 28 days ago, the Associated Press reported. Almost all of them have been pro-Papandreou with shouts against the King and pleas for a plebiscite on the Monarchy. Last night’s meeting between King Constantine, who is aged 25, and Mr Papandreou, aged 77, came exactly four weeks after the King dismissed Mr Papandreou in a dispute over control of the armed forces. King Constantine has rejected Mr Papandreou’s demands that either he be returned to power or that new elections be called, and has made two attempts to put the government in the hands of other members of Mr Papandreou’s Centre Union Party. Both attempts failed.