MILITARY HEAD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21603, 4 January 1945, Page 5

MILITARY HEAD

ATHENS CABINET CHOICE OF PREMIER FEW POLITICAL TIES (11 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 3. General Plastiras, Commander-in-Chiet or the Greek armed forces, lias undertaken to form a new Greek Ministry at. the urgent solicitation of the Regent, Dr. Damaskinos. An announcement of the new turn in Greek national affairs followed reports that the Regent had held extended conferences with General Plastiras, with a view to determining the political future of the country. An American broadcast stated last night that the Regent had asked the Greek Commander-in-Chief to form a Government, to succeed that headed by M. Papandreou.

Other indications have been forthcoming that the Regent had little choice but to settle for a Cabinet under a strong personality, such as that of General Plastiras. General Plastiras returned to Greece only recently, after years in exile following the German occupation of Greece. He has been unswerving in the performance of the orders of the Papandreou Government, and in fulfilling his obligations to the British commander in Greece General Scobie, but he is not identified strongly with the Rightists in Greek politics. The selection has the advantage of providing the country with a leader whose loyalty has been given to the services, rather than to political ideologies.