AUTHORITY SOUGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26579, 30 September 1947, Page 5

AUTHORITY SOUGHT

Reorganisation of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe

REQUEST TO ASSEMBLY

Rec. 10 p.m. NEW YORK, Sept. 28. A coalition of former East-European cabinet members and officials now in exile asked the United Nations General Assembly to-day to undertake the reorganisation of the Communist-dominated Governments of Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Yugoslavia and Poland. The exiles submitted the request to the Assembly president, Dr Oswaldo Aranha, in the form of a 150-page memorandum over the name of the International Peasant Union, which they recently formed. The memorandum accused Russia of interfering in Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, and alleged that Soviet armed forces had been used in those countries “ for aggressively subversive political, economic and social ends.” The signatories to the memorandum are Dr George Dimitrov, of the Bulgarian National Agrarian Union, Dr Vladko Macek, Croatian Peasant Party, M. Ferenc Nagy, Hungarian Smallholders Party, M. Grigore Buzesti, Rumanian National Peasant Party, and Dr Milan Gavrilovic, Serbian Agrarian Union.

The union's spokesman announced that a formal motion to place the memorandum on the agenda of the assembly’s present session would be made by delegates of one or more nations “ who have already expressed their agreement in principle." Dr Dimitrov, M. Nagy and Dr Macek were now in New York communicating with delegates of all United Nations members, except Russia and her satellities. The spokesman added that the union comprised “ the free representatives of Eastern Europe.” The memorandum specifically requests the assembly First, to find “ unrepresentative ” Governments of the five Slav States guilty of violating the United Nations Charter principles; Secondly, to appoint a commission to watch over the implementation of the charter and other international agreements in each of the countries and to establish caretaker Governments pending the framing of new electoral laws and preparation of free and unfettered elections under the United Nations supervision; Thirdly, to take under its protection citizens of five countries “who are subject to Communist persecution ” and to appoint an international commission to look into the charges made against them. The memorandum also asks that Yugoslavia and Poland he suspended from United Nations membership as long as they fail to abide by the charter, and that Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania be barred from admission until democratic rights have been restored. The memorandum describes the five Governments as mere tools of Russia's expansionist designs and adds: “It is time for the United Nations to assert its international authority and to make full use of the means open to it for the restoration of freedom and independence of the nations 1 liberated ’ by the Soviet Union.” M. Nagy is a former Premier of Hungary, and Dr Dimitrov was at one time secretary to the recently executed Bulgarian Opposition Party leader, Nikola Petkov. M. Buzesti is a former Rumanian Minister for Foreign Affairs.