Balkans Report. Just Garbage, Vyshinsky Says

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1948, Page 4

Balkans Report. Just Garbage, Vyshinsky Says

PARIS, Thu. (11.30 a.m.). —M. Vyshinsky attacked the long report of the Balkans Committee in the United Nations political committee today, describing it as “garbage that has to be thrown away.” He called the witnesses “completely and utterly untrustworthy.” -

M. Vyshinsky shouted angrily in MiHector McNeil’s face: "You told the House of Commons that there was reliable information that General Markos had threatened United Nations observers.

concerned, and no direct observations of events, or on witnesses brought forward by only one country. “VICIOUS, SHAMEFUL”

M. Vyshinsky condemned the Balkans Committee for abrogating to itself functions which the United Nations had not given it.

“Then you had to admit that the document had been concoted by counter-espionage spies.” M. Vyshinsky quoted Mr Ernest Bevin as telling M. Manuilsky (Ukrainian Foreign Minister) at the Security Council meeting in London in 1946: “The Press is not for information —it is for misinformation.” “We have the echo of that to plague us now,” said M. Vyshinsky. AUSTRALIAN RESERVATIONS He said the Australian reservations in the report were interesting and significant, as Australia could hardly be expected, as a member of the 'British Commonwealth, to have any particular sympathy with Greece’s northern neighbours, or with the Soviet Union.

He said its job, as made clear by an Australian member, was to mediate and pacify, not to investigate. The document it had issued was “legally intolerable” and contained “vicious, shameful and distorted material.”

M. Vyshinsky said the “mad demands” of the Tsaldaris Government for Northern Epirus in the Wbania and Rhodope Valley in Bulgaria were real facts threatening Balkan and world peace. “Responsibility for the Balkans situation rests squarely on the Greek territorial greed and on other government which connive at this covetousness,” he said. “U.S. COLONY”

These reservations made it clear in Australia’s view that it was useless to reach any categorical conclusions on the Balkans situation based either on the reports of observers • who had no access to three of the four countries

“If these demands do not constitute an aggressive policy I would like to know what does.

“If they are not a threat to peace I would like to know what is.

“All talks of provocation, terrorism and oppression spread about the small band of partisans in Greece are merely the old song. “Greece has been transformed into a United States colony, but she must be reborn as an independent state. “So great is the hatred of the Greek people against the Greek Government that it could not stay in power for a single hour without the protection of British and American forces.” FOUR-POINT PLAN

M. Vyshinsky then proposed that the United Nations order the withdrawal of foreign troops from Greece. He submitted a four-point plan, suggesting that the General Assembly should:

(1) Call on the Greek Government to guarantee the removal of discrimination against nationals of Albania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria resident in its territory. (2) Call on the Governments of the four interested countries to observe existing frontier conventions and negotiate new ones where necessary. (3) Order the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Greece. (4) Discontinue the United Nations special commission on the Balkans. M. Vyshinsky opposed the proposal of the other four big powers calling for continuation of the special commission’s work. ALL STEPS TO OPPOSE “The Soviet delegation will take all steps in its pqwer to oppose its passage, as it considers it to be a shame and a disgrace to the United Nations authority,” he said. The Greek delegate (M. Panayotis Pipinelis) asked- what more overwhelming evidence of guilt there could be than Bulgaria’s and Yugoslavia’s refusal to accept the special commission’s conclusions. It showed their doubts as to the truth of their statements and a profound sense of guilt.