BALKAN DISPUTE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22445, 27 September 1947, Page 7

BALKAN DISPUTE

U.S. URGES TERMS VOICE IN UJN. DEBATE BULGARIA AND ALBANIA (10 a m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 25. The United States, supported by Britain, demanded at a meeting of the United Nations Assembly P o^ committee today that Albania and Bulgaria be debarred from participation m, the committee’s debate on the Balkan ques tion unless they agreed in advance to accept the Assembly’s decisions. These two countries, as non-members of the United Nations, had applied for permission to be heard. “Inappropriate and Unnecessary * M. Gromyko described the demand as “inappropriate and unnecessary, add “?g that it indicated unwillingness to heat Albania and Bulgaria. . . . Mr. Hector McNeil, Britain, said it would be “ludicrous to let a man come to the court only if it suited his con venience to obey the decision. The committee, voted by 38 to six, for the United States resolution deferring a decision on the subject u " tl L^. lb t E If 1 v and Bulgaria had stated whether they would accept the Assembly s deeisio whatever it was. Only the Slav bloc voted negatively. American Resolution Mr. Hcrshel Johnson, United States, then moved a resolution in the following terms: _ , . 1. Finding Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia guilty of helping the Greek guerrillas. . 2. Calling upon those three countries to “cease and desist.” 3. Calling upon the three countries as well as Greece to co-operate in settling the dispute by establishing normal diplomatic relations, entering into frontier agreements cooperating on the refugee problem, and studying means for the voluntary transfer of minorities. 4. Establishing a special United Nations committee to ‘ observe compliance of the four Governments. 5- Authorising the committee to call a special session of the Assembly, it necessary, to help to solve the d:fiiculties. Blocked by Soviet Vetoes

Mr. Johnson said that all American efforts to settle the Balkans dispute in the Security Council had been blocked by Soviet vetoes. Yugoslavia and Bulgaria had increased their assistance to Greek revolutionary guerrillas since the council had first considered the problem and it was a clearly established principle of international law that such aid was a hostile and aggressive act.

“In the opinion of my Government the Assembly’s decision in this case will be crucial, both for the existence of Greece as a free and independent nation and for the United Nations itself,” he said- “Failure to protect ope small State can only endanger the security of other small States. Failure to face this issue squarely would inevitably lead to the belief that acts of this kind would be tacitly condoned in future.” The committee adjourned.