SOVIET TANK EXPERT IN TABRIZ

Chronicle (Levin), 15 March 1946, Page 5

SOVIET TANK EXPERT IN TABRIZ

PREMIER'S MISSION TO MOSCOW ! Received Thursday, 8.20 p.m. LODDON, March 14. Marshal Ivan Eagramyan, a Soviet tank expert, is reported to have arriver at Tabriz, says Reuter's Teheran correspondent. Eagramyan commanded the First Baltic Front Army, which broke the .German line near Riga in the summer of 1044. He was elected to ihe Supreme Soviet as deputy for Riga last month. "A Washington message says the Persian Ambassador (Mr. Hussein Ala), aiter a cali at the State Department, said: "The Russian reinl'orcement move in Persia was quite unexpected; it has taken us hy surprise." Mr. Ala con sidered. that the Russian moves were j aimed at Turkey and Iraq, as well as ! Persia. He added, ' ' The situation is j no longer a war of nerves." in a Press conference ih Teheran, | the Persian Priine Minister (Mr. Sul- f taneh), after saying tnat he uad not achieved in Moscow the object which he nad in view, refused to answer a question whether he intended again to put Persia 's case hefore United Nations. EVACUATION FIRST TASK He said that the discussions with the so-calied autonomous Government oi ; Azerbaijan were at present of second i ary importance. His lirst and most miportant pre-occupation was the i evacuation of the Russians. Commenting that it was impossihle to elect a new Majlia while foreign troops ; were on Persian soil, Mr. Sultaneh said : "I and my Government will ! carry on with. our ditties to get the j evacuation; then we will legaliy pro- j ceed with the new elections." He said he did not know whether the , Soviet Government, in stating that the ' troops would remain until "the situa- j tion was clarified, ' ' meant until the ; situation was clarified in Persia or i eisewhere. In any case, he said, he had ' not agreed with the Russian decision to keep the troops in Persia. He described as ridiculous the reports circulated during his visit to Moscow that he had agreed to the Russian six-point programme, ailegedly including the incorporation of Azerbaijan, the granting of oil concessions, and the direction of the Persian Army by Russian officers. The "few proposals" he made in ' writing remained unanswered, but the new Soviet Amhassador in Teheran was ; expected in a few days. j Mr. Sultaneh repeatedly rel'erred to ! the "friendly feeling" hetween Russia I and Persia and said: "Persia, with its i long boundary with Russia, must maini tain friendly -elations, but this does not mean that we should not protect ' our own interests at all times.