Restoration Of Trieste To Italy

Chronicle (Levin), 23 March 1948, Page 5

Restoration Of Trieste To Italy

(N.Z.P.A.-

— Reuter.

CovuriQht)

Received Tuesday, 11,20 a.m. LONDON, March 22. Yugoslavia today protes.ted against the suggestion by the Western Powers to restore the free territory of Trieste to Italy. The Yugoslav protest cqntained in notes handed to the British, United States and French Ambassadors in BelRussia lias not yet replied, but representatives of the Polish and Hungari^n Governments today deno.unced the suggestion. . The Italian Government has sent • messages to Britam, the United States and JYance, accepting the Trieste proposal. - The Italian Foreign Minister, Counf Sf orza, later broadcast Italy's acceptance and thanks to the Western Powers. The Italian Premier, Signor de Gasperi, after a threehour talk in Northern Italy today with the French Foreign Minister, M. Bi'dault, said: "I think we are going towards a United States of Europe." Signor de Gasperi told a Press conference that the announcement- on Trieste was "a thing bigger than we are, bigger than Italy or Fra-nce and bigger than the Italian elections," He said the proposal was one of the things which could guarantee peace, hecause peace "in the Adriatic was impossible without collaboration there. M. Bidault declared: "There has been an astomshmg joining together of the two countries. Here is the will tp construct the base of a moral unity which will really come from the masses. We are pursuing this despite great difficulties. If we do what we should, peace is certain. OFFER FORESTAIJLS DEEP RUSSIAN MOVE According' to the Manchester (luardian's Rome correspondent. II Messagero says the Western Powers' Trieste deeision anf icipated • the Russia n move to propo^e the division of the territory in such a way that tlie Anglo- American garrison wonld be removed from the corner of the Adriatic, lcaving- the \ngoslav troops in their present position, and to restore Trieste city only to Italy, wherenpon Yugoslavia would at a suitable moment be able to occupy tlie undefended city. "The democratic Powers have forcsta-lled any such move/ says the Daily Telegraph's Rome correspondent. "The Yestern Powers' action will do jauch to dispcl the recent anti-Britjsh antiAmerican feeling in Italy of which gthe Soviet Clovernment has lately taken advantage ' , The Times, in a leader, said the new proposal was justified by the present facts — -and the importance oi the Italian elections. The free territory of Trieste was an abcess on the map of Europe that had sooner or later to be lanced. Tlie Daily Mail said Trieste .marked the turmng poinpin the postwar game of power politics and might yet prove to have stopped the drift to war. It was a shrewd stroke of politics which had placed the Russians in an awkward dilemma. "The significance of the-proposed return of Trieste goes far beyond the influence of the Italian election," says the New York Times'' 'eclitorially. The Times links the Trieste proposal with the French-Italian f-ustoms Union agreement and jthe expeeted move by the AYestern Powers. to give Italy trusteeship over some of its former African colonies, and eontimies: "These represent the fii'st move for a revision of tlie iintenable postwar settlements of the Big Four which settled nothing. They also represent the determination of the Western Powers to seize the initiat ve in such rewsion and to restore at least some of the bulwarks. against the Russo-Communist menape which has already precipitated a new - world crisis and compels the western nations to organise in selfdefence." • The New York Heralcl-Tribuiie which. like the Times, applauds the .Trieste proposal says: "It is as shrewd and effective a rnove " as those of the Communists are aecustonied to uso. It is also fundamentally an honest move, simply stating the basie values whioh the west ha3 to offer." Tlie Western Powers' p'roposed return of Trieste to Italy is a severe blow for the Communists who were planning with the Coniinform — Communist liiformation Bureau at Belgrnde — for "a eonciliatory gesture to b't made by Yugoslavia" in Trieste."