DECIDING WHAT THE ENEMY SHALL PAY

Chronicle (Levin), 7 October 1946, Page 5

DECIDING WHAT THE ENEMY SHALL PAY

Received Sunday, 7.0 p.m. PARIS, Oct. 5. After a conlinuou's' session over -S hours, the Balkans Economic Committee ended a deadlock ljy adopting by niu e votes to iive the British proposai tliat Bulgaria should pay £:5.1-,'A10,000 reparations to Greece and Yugoslavia, the Foreign Ministers' Council to decide the (ti'vision. Wearv aml hcavy-eyed clelegates this morning listened to- Jive hours of virtuai lilibuster by the Slav delegates vvho wanted a clause regarding Bulgaria 's reparations payments referrod hack to ■ the Big Pour. The Slavs l,)locked an American proposai that. Bulgaria should pay £25,000,000 to Greece and Yugoslavia together, and a British oue that she should - pay the same amount to Greece alone and settle with Yugoslavia nfterwards. The Yugoslavia delegate, Mr. Bartos, demanded that Bulgaria should be given equal treatment with Italy -regarding reparations which would mean the pay ment of about oue per cent of Bnl•garia's national income — £(i,250,000.- He •sugg-ested £2ji)00-, 000 -of this should be allotted to Greece and the remainder to Yugoslavia; the payments to be spread over ten years. The committee by nine votes to live rejeeted a Russian proposai to refer decision of Bulgaria 's reparations to Ihe Big Four Foreign Ministers. The committee by .13 to oue also rejeeted a Greek proposai that -Bulgaria should pav £40,000,000 by May 9 and a Yugoslav motion that Bulgaria should pav £(5,250,000. The Committee carried by seven votes to six a Greek amendment that the Bulgarian jiayment of £31,250,000 should be equally divided between Yugoslavia and Greece over six years. United States voted with the Slav states op posing the proposai. France abstained. Aroting for the British proposai which was carried by 9 to 5, was for Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Greece, India and South Afriea. Against was Russia, Ukraine, Czechslovakia, Yugoslavia and White 'Russia. The Balkans Economic Committee by 9 to 4 votes adopted a reparations article of the Finnish treaty giving Russia £75,000,000. America, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa voted against. Australia abstained. The Italian Economic Committee agreed by 11 to 4 votes to a British proposai that the total reparations payable by Italy should be £81,250,000. Russia, Yugoslavia and Greece eaeh . . reeeive> £25,000,000 and Ethiopia £(5,250,000. The Committee voted on whether or not Albania should receive x-eparations and the voting resulted in a tie 10 to 10. The cliairman ruled the proposai defeated. The principle of equal reparations for Yugoslavia and Greece was adopted by 15 to 1 votee. The. Italian Economic Committte has completed its worh.