TERMS OF TRUCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21602, 3 January 1945, Page 3

TERMS OF TRUCE

SCOBIE’S DEMAND E.A.M. HESITATIONS FEARS OF~REPRISALS (9 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 2. The British Foreign Office says that the following statement was issued in Athens on Monday evening: “When representatives of the E.A.M. Central Committee saw General Scobie this afternoon, they brought no confirmation of the acceptance, by the E.A.M. and E.L.A.S., of the two conditions for a truce contained in his memoranda of December 12 and 16, the delegates maintaining that their memorandum of December 18 amounted to an acceptance. This memorandum had again raised the question of the future of the Greek Mountain Brigade, tiie National Guard and the gendarmerie, “General Scobie re-affirmed his readiness to return the Mountain Brigade to their barracks immediately the truce terms were carried out, but pointed out that the future organisation of tl;e regular Greek National Forces was a matter for the new Government to decide. “The E.A.M. representatives thereupon asked to be received by the Regent, Dr Damaskinos. This request was immediately conveyed to Dr. Damaskinos, who replied expressing pleasure at their readiness to discuss tne cessation of hostilities. He emphasised that the questions raised by the E.A.M. memorandum of December 18 coulcl only be settled by the new Greek Government which is being formed immediately. “In transmitting this message from the Regent, General Scobie made a final appeal to the delegates to enable hostilities to be ended within a few hours, by fulfilment of his two purely muitar.v- conditions.”

General scobie s communique says: “No major developments have occurred in Athens in the past 24 hours. The clearing of sectors north-west of tne harbour at tne Piraeus is progressing well. The recruiting of the National Guard in Athens and the Riraeus continues satisfactorily. The situation elsewhere is unchanged. General Scobie refused to see the delegation of three E.B.A.S-ites who arrived at British headquarters to-day, unless they were willing to accept his terms, states the Associated Press correspondent at Athens. British 25-pounders kept up a harassing fire during the night on’all main roads leading to Athens, says Reuter’s Athens correspondent. A total of 600 rounds were fired against rive targets, including cross-roads and defiles, between 6 p.m. and midnight. Greek troops removed 5001bs. of dynamite from the sewers under the Athens Medical College.