LARGE SCALE FIGHTING

Chronicle (Levin), 30 December 1947, Page 5

LARGE SCALE FIGHTING

Received Alondav. 7.0 p.iu. LONDON, Dee. 29. Large seale (iglitiug lias devel oped in tlie (Ireek niounlain.s near Ihe Alhanian l'rontier and il is bclieved Ihat the rebels arseeking 1o gain eontrol of a sitb stantial portion of -(Ireek terri1ory, ineluding Ihe town of Konitza, in order fo establisli 1here Ihe seat of llieir new "(lovernnieiH " whose aims, aceording to Athens niessagos. are said 1o 1h\ lirslly. 1o l'ree (Ireeee from the Anglo-Saxon "imperialist yoke" and then to "deniocratise" the eounl rv. Tlio Times Athens eorrespondent |iio1ed tlie rebel Alinister oi Ju'sliee. A1 r. Porpliyrogonis as snving yesterday that for these pur poses Ihe rebel ( loverninent would organise its own tleet and air l'oree to assist the rebel army. The correspondenl points out that as tlie rebels at present have neither ships nor aeroplanes, the inforeneo ean only be that Ihe, rebel (loverninent expeets evcn- ! tuai reeognition from the SlavJ bloe and assistance on sueh aj seale as to tuni the present guer-; rilla vvar into total war on tlie; Spanish model with all the at-! tendfwit horrors for the (Ireekj peojile. The (Ireek rebels hold some im-j portant heights along Ihe Albanian l'rontier and still hold thej initiative, says the Times ' Athens | corresepondent. The Dailv Telegraph's eorrespondent says the rebels are still shelling Konitza. The Times eorrespondent says : there is large seale fighting vv i t h battles in progro.ss between the rebels and troops and the Kighth

(ireek Moitntain Division at many points in the frontiei; region. U seenis that 2000 rebels who moved down from (irammos and l'rom Albania, are attempting to seeure eontrol of the Konitza area whilc another 1500 earry out harassing and diverting operations in othei paris of Epirua. Radio stations in Belgrnde. Bofia and Tirana are being used for the rebels. Radio engineers traeed a hroadeast announcing the l'ormafion pf a rehel (lovernment to Yugoslavia. All the niembei-s of tliis (loverninent are known members of tlie (Ireek (kimmunist Party. The rebels apparently I'ailod to include "eertain fellow travellers" and thus disguise the rebel lion as a deniocratic jnovement. " Tlie "Daiiy Telegraph correseiiondent says (Ireek Seeurity Rolice diseovered a eopy of a ]iact betweon the (ireek and Bulgarian ('ommunist Parlies for an independont Soviet to be formed in Maeedonia. The ] ra rt ies signed tlie pacf in 1943. It provides for i eonfedoration of Balkan Soviet1 Rejnibiies, Ihe union of (Ireek. v'ugoslav and Bulgarian ]iarts of Macedonia into an independent State, and Russian eontrol of the Dardanelles.