EASTERN MOVE

Opotiki News, Volume III, Issue 323, 18 October 1940, Page 1

EASTERN MOVE

AXIS PRESSURE BALKANS STATES GREEKS AND TURKS CONTROL OF RUMANIA TROOPS OF SOVIET POSITION OF BULGARIA (News by Cable.) - LONDON, Oct. 16. The Daily Telegraph says, that the announcement of the arrival in Egypt of the Secretary of State for War, Mr. Anthony Eden, for conferences with the chiefs of the services, demonstrates the importance which Britain attaches to early developments in the Mediterranean and Britain’s intention to stand on the defensive indefinitely in the Mediterranean, although the defection of France has obviously created a new balance of forces calling for a period of regrouping.

It is stated that Mr. Eden will be more immediately concerned with the Italian factor. He will have opportunities in Cairo of thrashing out, many problems and getting first hand information. He is also to visit the Anglo and Allied contingents in the Middle East. In the meantime the Government is urgently considering the whole series of European problems which have arisen s.nce the Axis began moving troops eastward. It was anticipated that after the occupation of Rumania the Axis would consolidate before pressing on with tho plan for extending control to tho whole of the Balkans, but as far as can be learned in London the pressure has been increased against Greece; this being primarily aimed at inducing an abandonment of the British guarantee. Greec.c has done nothing to comply with the Axis demands. On the contrary Greece has given proof that sho counts on the fullest support of which Britain is capable. Mutual Assistance It has lor long been understood that the Greecian-Turk.sh pact of non-aggression has also secret military provisions for mutual assistance. Bucharest reports that 65 passenger trains, many.of which have been running on the main lines in Rumania, have been suspended until tho end of the month. It is officially stated that this is to make way for good traffic which has long been delayed, holding, up the military requisitioning. An Istanbul message states that the Turkish Cabinet is believed to have discussed Turkey’s relation to the Rumanian situation.

Three hundred refuge.es, including Britons, who are said to have been through hell at the hands of the Iron Guard, arrived at Constanza to-day. A shipload of Turks is expected to-day and the remainder of the British colony to-morrow. Russian Denials Russian and Rumanian officials in Bucharest firmly denied to-day that Soviet troops had occupied the delta of the Danube. It was admitted that a thrust across the Danube would mean hostilities. It was stated that recent troop movements on the Bessarabian frontier were probably due to endeavours to complete the defences of the frontier before the heavy snows commenced. The Sofia correspondent of the Associated Press of • Great Britain, states that Mr. G. W. Rcndell, has gone to Istanbul to confer with the British Ambassador to Turkey. The conference is considered to be closely identified with the future of Turk-ish-Soviet relations in which Turkey will still carry the British guarantee. King Boris of Bulgaria, yesterday gave an audience to Mr. Rendel who twice conferred with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Professor Filoff. Bulgarians Impressed Evidence is accumulating that the Bulgarians arc" impressed by the Soviet manoeuvres and are trying to maintain a policy of peaceful neutrality against the reported Axis

pressure. The Rome correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that M. Bagrianoff, the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture has arrived from Germany and had a friendly conversation with the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Ciano. M. Bagrianoff is considered to be one of Bulgaria’s leading Axis sympathisers. The Osservatore Romano to-day declared that Parliamentary circles in Sofia were discussing an imminent Cabinet crisis which is expected to occur when M. Bagrianoff returns.