ALBANIAN DANGER SPOT

Grey River Argus, 30 September 1949, Page 7

ALBANIAN DANGER SPOT

Weekly Commentary on World Affairs

by Criticus Recent news reported several important facts regarding Yugoslavia. Britain and the U.S.A, both were extending credits to Yugoslavia and Tito ceased co-operation with the "Free-Greek guerrilla movement.” At the same time a cable report, dated London, August 27, stated:— “A Free Albanian Committee, claiming to represent the Albanian resistance and to be planning a revolt against the Albanian Communist Government, was announced to-day in Paris.”

This committee had the co-oper-ation and the blessing of Greek authorities. The Greek Prime Minister took it so seriously that he made a statement saying:—

“Greece would greet with sympathy the emergence of a movement for th e liberation of the Albanian people. If an Albanian regime really representative of the people is established we shall be ready to collaborate?’ The present Greek Government is hardly the kind from which to expect collaboration for any form of liberating movement. But in terms of power politics the statement has recently been supplemented by a number of other rather sinister statements.

On September 11, a cable from Athens stated: “The Greek Minister of War issued a warning tonight that Greece would be justified in invading Albania if the Albanians* again helped Greek guerrillas to re-enter Greece.” And another cable, dated London, September 14, reported: “The Associated Press says that Greece will tell the United Nations that she will invoke the United Nations Charter to invade Albania in self-defence, if guerrillas there launch a fresh attack. The cable goes on: “Greek leaders recognise that an invasion of Albania might be the spark to ignite a third world war if Russia stepped in, but their opinion is that Russia would not risk war by intervention.” Greek and Chinese leaders have for a long time shown little fear of an international all-destructive war if their corrupt regimes could be preserved by such action. Although the Greek Government is probably most willing to provoke such a war there are forces in the Western diplomatic world which have been working for an invasion of Albania by Greece for some time. Yugoslavia’s defection from the Soviet camp has made their position much stronger and recent developments appear to be merely the logical outcome of a long premeditated policy. The usually well-informed London “Economist” stated the line of policy to be pursued by the Western powers as early as October 23, 1948: “There is one feature of the Greek question to which the American Secretary of State might profitably give his attention —the position of Albania. This small country has no friendly neighbour. It has recently quarrelled bitterly with Yugoslavia. The division between the tribal north and the settled south has always been a source of weakness to a country whose material resources are few and whose population does not exceed one million.”

After thus having shown the weaknesses of Albania, the “Economist” goes on: “Can the Western powers in fact find no way of dealing with this impudent braggart (referring to Enver Hodja, Communist President of Albania). The evidence against him collected for UNO[ is decisive enough to justify action. And if Hodja chooses to continue provacation, he might be reminded that the coastal plain from Durazze to Valona is very open to the sea.” And then the paper suggests action against Albania: “The ‘liquidation of the Albanian nuisance in the Greek civil war depends, of course, on the attitude of If Greece’s frontiers with Yugoslavia and Albania could be neutralised or sealed, Ihe Greek rebels could be crushed.” The paper concludes: “Here is a task for .'Xmerican and British diplomacy, the success of which would not only strengthen European security but save Congress many million dollars.”

The line of policy which ought to be pursued to liquidate the Albanian regime was further elucidated in an article appearing in the “Economist” of January 1, 1949: The following strategy was advocated: “It would not be difficult to supply and probably not necessary to start, a Markos movement in reverse.”

This sentence, of course, refers to the organisation of a Free Albanian movement to be organised and equipped with a view to ousting the present reoime. But this movement would have to be assisted from the outside: “A blockade of Albanian coast waters would be a mild reprisal for the murder of British sailors, yet one which would damage the regime seriously by cutting off Soviet sea supplies. Surely the Governments of Britain and the United States can take some action against this intolerable nuisance?” “The first step is some understanding with Yugoslavia. That country is threatened by Albanian irredentism Faced with this threat in the past, Yugoslavia (or Serbia) has aJways allied itself with Greece. The task of western diplomacy must be to restore this friendship, bring relief to hard-pressed Greece, strengthen Yugoslav independence, and so enable the Albanian people to rid itself of Envei' Hoxha’s nest of brigands.” So far Enver Hoxha and his colleagues seem not to be frightened. Albania has continued to give refuge to Greek guerrillas and maintained her pro-Cominform line. Previous economic plans which had been largely based on Yugoslav supplies have been scrapped and Albania has adopted a two-year plan which includes an increase in cereal production by 68 per cent, development of co-operative farms based on the Soviet model, and the creation of new industries: a hydro-electric power station, a large sugar refinery, textile factories and tanneries.

There can be no doubt that the present regime in Albania has no resemblance whatsoever to the forms of Western Parliamentary democracy. But it is of course, an illusion that any' “liberation movement” that comes from Greece, Wall Street, Yugoslavia, or anywhere will replace this regime by anything but a different dictatorship. Inteiwention in Albania is not planned with a view to liberating the Albanian people but, in the words of the “Economist” ‘‘'to strengthen European security and save Congress many million dollars.’* Ih-schemeGiG GGG iGim