CRITICS SPEAK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25083, 22 December 1944, Page 6

CRITICS SPEAK

ACTION DEPLORED POLITICAL ISSUES INO SOLUTION IN FORCE REPLY BY MR EDEN to Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright LONDON, Dec. 20 A debate on the position in Greece took place in the; House of Commons Ifcoday. Mr Arthur Greenwood, deputyLeader of the Labour Party, commenced the debate, which was forced by the Labour Party, of which he is the official spokesman in the House. He said: "I must say that Mr Churchill has Jiot handled tho situation in the way in ■which it should be handled. I am not taking any joy in saying this, but I feel St is on my conscience to say it because I believe that Mr Churchill's words have, in fact, done something to embitter the political situation over here. No Division in Country '"There is no division in tho country t>n this issue. Everybody deplores the situation, and knows it is fantastic and tragic to have Greeks and Britons at each other's throats. It is a terrible thing to have British soldiers under orders to attack men with whom they iave fought in the past. "If Mr Churchill had been a little Snore responsive and generous in the ■words he used in the House of Commons on December 15 there need not ihave been occasion for this debate. Mr Churchill should not come down as a schoolmaster prior to the _ Christmas jholiday waving a birch instead of "wishing the boys a happy Christmas. This is not an occasion for a vote of censure. There is no challenge to the Government, but there is great perturbation in the minds of millions in Britain ©,nd among our Allies as to the situation in Greece. Test of Statesmanship . "British honour and dignity afe at •take. This problem is not a military one. It is political. It is not going to be solved by force. It is a supreme test of statesmanship, on which_ tho future liberty of our countries will largely depend. "This is not an isolated problem. Other territories will bo liberated, and we are likely to have the same kind of problems. If on each occasion a nation is liberated we are going to be driven into the position of a sort of Gestapo, to maintain underground _ then Britain loses her good name in Europe. I am not myself as afraid of the E.A.M. as Mr Churchill, who tends to divide people into sheep and goats. He tried to convey the impression that we are helping to support a righteous cause, and that everyone who was an E.A.M.ite was a gangster. King and Regency "We went into Greece with the perfectly good motive of feeding the people. Having! got involved in this trouble, the Government has got to see it through and play a great part in establishing an armistice. It is unfortunate that the King of Greece has exSressed great reluctance against the Legency, which, as far as I understand, "is generally agreed to by the vast majority of Greeks. "I am prepared to forget the Darlans and Badoglios, but I am not prepared to forgot Greece. I beg the Government, in the interests of Greece, the interests of the future, and the honour of our people, to get rid of shooting and get down to making ballots rather than bullets." Sir Percy Harris, Leader of the Liberal Party, told the House that the conscience of Britain had been stirred by the incidents in Greece. Game ol Power Politics "This feeling is not an agitation engineered by the Left," he said. "There is deep resentment among the common people ,of Britain, who feel that their sons are being used to shoot down Allies. There is suspicion, too, that the Government is playing the game of power politics, and is endeavouring to establish a sphere of influence. The real danger is that all the Allies are manoeuvring for position. We are sowing the seeds of future wars." He said it was an unwise policy for Britain to take the sole responsibility in Greece. Our Allies should be asked to share- the responsibility. Mr Aneurin Bevan (Labour —Ebbw Vale) said: "We are meeting under the shadow of a threat by General Scobie, distributed over Athens today. We are pouring in heavy reinforcements that ought to be used against the Germans. British Ultimatum "General Scobie declared in a leaflet that unless the E.A.M. guns cease firing, guns, bombers, rockets and tanks will be used against Athens. If these threats were carried out the House of Commons would be put in a most shameful situation. (Cheers.) When the Germans were fighting in Greece we said that if Athens were bombed wo would bomb Rome. The Germans did not bomb Athens, but we did. Are we prepared to go into recess and allow strife to be continued on such terms? "The Greeks do not trust the British Government because it has been intriguing for two years to get King George back on the throne. Will the Foreign Secretary give an assurance that the British Government favours the establishment of a Regency? Why should British soldiers lose their lives in order to back up the intrigues of the King of Greece? "Ghurkas are being used in Greece because they are politically backward end nan be relied on to fire against the Greeks." References to Gurkhas The Foreign Secretary, Mr Eden [(intervening): The overwhelming majority of tlie troops in Greece are white. Mr A. H. E. Molson (Conservative — High Peak, Derbyshire): What is the point of tho offensive remark about the Gurkhas ? Mr Bevan: The Greeks resent the Gurkhas as you would resent them in similar circumstances. At this point there was considerable shoutingr Some members of the House rose to their feet. Mr Bevan said: "The Government ■must not put too much strain on us. iLabojir participation in some of these policies has cone as far as some of us '■will allow. If, when we return from the recess, the fighting has gone on in Greece, if you reject friendly advice, /and. if the Parliamentary Labour Party does not put down a vote of censure, .some of us will make it clear that these [policies against tho Greeks aro only Tories' policies." Step Approved by Allies Replying to the debate, the Foreign Secretary, Mr Eden, said there was nothing the Government would welcome more than closer machinery for international collaboration. Before the decision was taken in Greece the Allies had been consulted, and the step Britain was taking was approved. The Government did not foresee that matters would turn out as they had done. " For reasons of security Britain's plan and intentions had not been described even to her Greek ally, added Mr Eden, and it had been impossible to give the Greeks a clear answer to their appeals for the British to go into Greece. When the time for, entry into Greece approached, the British got into touch With tlie guerilla bands, and the two leaders, General Zervas (E.D.E.S.) and

General Serafis [(E.L.A.S.V -were invited to meet the Supreme Commander. Immense trouble was taken to try to get agreement between all the parties in Greece before the British went into Greece. The agreement reached was accepted by the Pnpandreou Government in the presence ot the guerilla leaders. Mr Eden quoted from the document, which was accepted unanimously. In it all the guerilla forces placed themselves under the orders of General Scobie and the guerilla leaders declared that the.v would forbid any units under their command taking the law into their own hands. Such action would be regarded as a crime and treated accordingly. All the guerilla forces, in order to put an end to past rivalries, declared that they would form a national union in order to co-ordinate their activities in the best, interests o[ the common struggle. Mr Eden submitted that the signed document showed that a great deal of trouble was taken in Greece before the British arrived. He stressed that the British were seeking no advantage whatever through their actions in Greece. British troops had gone there to help because Greece could not support itself, and her harbours and means of transport were utterly destroyed.