COMMUNIST FEDERATION

Chronicle (Levin), 1 December 1947, Page 5

COMMUNIST FEDERATION

(N.Z.P.A.-

-?Reuter.

Proposal To Merge Eastern European States

Copyright)

iteceivecl sunaayi LU p.m. LONDON, Nov. 30. Mr. Stalin and the Bulgarian Prime Minister (Mr. Dimitrov) met reeently at Hochi and discussed a proposal to merge the Communist countries of Eastern Europe into one Federal State with the capital at Belgracle, the ObServer 's diplomatic correspondent learns from a reliable source. Con munist (.-oiintrics with a populrtion of 80,000,000 to 90,000,000 wmdd be under this plan to form a new great Power closely linked with Russia'. The leadcrs appear l.o have decided to work first towarci a Y ugosl a v-Bulgarian federation which niiglh provide a nucleus lor the new State while continuously strengthening. the links both among the various i'uture member States and between tliese States and the new Southern Slavoiiic unit. ' The correspondent adds that great importance .is . at.tac.hed in Eastern European diplomatic circles in London to the visits last week of Marshal Tito to Sofia .and the Hungarian Prinie IMinister (Mr. Dinnyes) to Bucharest. Outwardly the forrner resulted in a twenty-year Bulgarian-Yugoslav treaty of friendship and cooperation, the latter in a eultural and minorities agreement between Iiungary and Rumania, but imliortant as tliese were it is helieved that mucli niore farreaching undcrstandings were achieved and that the Tito-Dimitrov meeting especially was the beginning oi' mucli greater things. Marslial Tito in a speech said many people would say tlie visit porlended the creation of a l'ederation but Yugoslavia and Bulgaria were creating such close omnilateral cooperation that the question of a federation was only a formality. The correspondent adds that in all the speeches assoeiated with the Tito-Dimitrov meeting there were many allusions to the reperi eussions of this new — as yet unformalisecl — Yugoslav-Biilgarian unity beyond its frontiers. For example, Dr. Kolarov, teinporary President of Bulgaria, bestowing 011 Marslial Tito tlie highest Bulgifria n orders, said the practical realisation of the brotlierhood md unity of the southern Slavs would be an event the importance of which would be i'elt well beyond the i'rontier of both States. Marshal Tito was even more explicit when after naming Poland, Czeehoslovakia, Hungary and Rumania as friends and brothers of the Yugoslav and iBulgarian peoples, he said: "Our Slav brothers and all those States in tlie east which are following the only right path in the realisation of the true people 's demoerac-ies, form an indestruetible Poiver which is a

migirc iacior ror peace m tlie world." Reuter's correspondent in«Sofia says Tito issued a statement saying he had discovered as a result of his vi'sit to Bulgaria that the Yugoslav and Bulgarian peoples dicl iiot want a frontier but a > federation. Tito added that the Yugoslav-Bulgarian Treaty representecl the fulfilment/ of both nation 's clesires.