BALKAN SITUATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 89, 14 March 1941, Page 5

BALKAN SITUATION

- CONFLICTING- RUMOURS. ITALIAN ACTIVITY. LONDON, March 12. The Balkan situation is the subject of a flock of conflicting rumours and reports. The only concrete fact emerging is that more than, a million men are now under arms in Yugoslavia, and that the number is increasing. The official explanation of the call-up is that the men are required for manoeuvres. Pro-German circles report that Yugoslavia has agreed in principle to sign the Tripartite Pact, hut other quarters believe the Gernia.ns will not press for the signing of the pact, because that would be likely to court refusal. It is reported that the trains coming from Greece are crowded with Germans, who state that they were told by their consulates in Athens and Salonika to leave the country immedi--3 Frontier reports reaching Belgrade say that large numbers of Italianmotorised and armoured units are arriving at Shkodra (Northern Albania), mostly from Durazzo. Frontier traffic between Italy and Yugoslavia is almost at a ■ • andstill, and a strip of territory on tlv Italian side, three miles wide, has been evacuated of all except pro-perty-owners. *- It is reported from Ankara that, after hearing tin. Premier (Dr. Saydam) outline the political situation and review the Government’s actions, a private meeting of the Turkish People’s Party unanimously approved the policy. REPORTED DEMANDS. Germany is reported to have presented a Note to lugoslavia demanding demobilisation ot the lugosiav ■army; complete German control of lugosiav eeonoinj, transport and communications; the right to send war materials through \ ugoslavia while reserving Rumania and Bulgaria for the transport of men; the right to pass troops through Yugoslavia if it. becomes necessary later; Yugoslavia to sign the Tripartite Pact. The Cairo correspondent of the Times says that Mr Eden continues to participate in meetings and consultations m which he nas seen a number of prominent Egyptian leaders. He had a long conference with the Premier (Hussein Sirry Pasha). Mr Eden's presence is singularly opportune, because British commercial circles are uneasy regarding the hostile attitude of the Chamber of Deputies. Mr Eden and iSirry Pasha are believed to have discussed British and Egyptian relations at present and also after the war.

. MARK OF THE NAZI. BULGARIAN CONDUCT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 12. The treatment afforded.'the representatives of the Polish, Netherlands and Belgian Governments by the Bulgarian Government after the occupation of that country by German troops can only be described as an example of cynical impertinence, hard to equal in diplomatic history. When the occupation became an admitted fact, the Bulgarian Government informed these representatives that “in the present circumstances it would be well that they should leave the country as soon as possible,” adding, quite contrary to the truth, that the Government had long since ceased to regard them as diplomatic representatives. "When delivering the communication about leaving the country as soon as possible, the Secretary-General of the Bulgarian Ministry informed the Polish Minister and the Netherlands Charge d’Affaires that his Government was prepared to facilitate their journey to Poland and Holland re-spectively—ill-bred conduct only in keeping with the manners of the Bulgarian Government’s Nazi masters. The British Minister, however, insisted that the Allied representatives, should leave either before or at the same time as he himself. In fact, these representatives left Bulgaria the day before Mr Rendol departed, and arrived safely at Istanbul. CREDITS FROZEN. (9.55 a.m.) WASHINGTON, March 13. President Roosevelt, has signed an order freezing Hungarian credits in the United States. This is the twelfth such order freezing’ the credits of the German-uominatcd - countries.