TRIESTE ENIGMA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 75, 25 May 1945, Page 4

TRIESTE ENIGMA

SPECIAL interest for New Zealanders attaches the delicate position now arising out of the occupation of Trieste in Northern Italy by the Yugoslav forces under the famous guerilla leader, General Tito. In the eyes of the Allied leaders the official troops of occupation of this historic town are the men of the New Zealand division and it wouldl not be wrong to surmise that during the course of the negotiations our boys were standing warily on guard, ready for eventualities. The regrettable incident has been condemned by the world as a whole as illustrating the employment of those very attributes of dictatorship which forced the war upon mankind. General Tito has in the past shown himself to be a fearless and cunning strategic fighter, and for these qualities he has won the unstinted admiration of his allies in arms. At the same time* he must be made to realise, like the rest of the armies fighting for the ideal of individual freedom, that territorial boundaries can only be settled at the peace conference table» the deliberations of which will be largely guided by the will of the people concerned. Trieste may yet become an integral part of Yugoslavia or it may not, according to the referendum taken of the people living there. Occupation by force can only sow the seeds of future dissatisfaction and possible bloodshed; which in turn as the world is already painfully aware can lead to wars on a world-wide scale. The firm stand taken by the British and American military authorities, without a doubt has prevented the precipatation of a new and first class problem so close on the heels of a resounding victory, that it might well have robbed that tremendous event o± its significance and glorious meaning.