INTERVIEW WITH GREEK PREMIER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2652, 24 December 1915, Page 5

INTERVIEW WITH GREEK PREMIER

BY MR. MARTIN DONOHOE

. " THE ALLIES FLOUTED AND ANGERED /, ; GREECE': . 'By Telegraph—Pmbb Association—Copyright < Londsn, December 22. Mr. Martin Donohoe, the "Daily Chronicle's" war correspondent at Athens, interviewed M. Skouloudis. He is, says Mr. Donohoe, a cultured, sympathetic, and ivitty conversationalist, replete with virile energy, despite his seventy-eight years. He said: "This is the most critical moment in Greek history. The future is as black as night. Groecehas tried to 'play the game,' as you English say; she has sought to see eye to eye with the Entente. If Greece is not fighting whole-heartedly on your side, it is because the Entente's statesmen and diplomatists have failed in their duty. The Allies flouted and angered Greece instead of placating her, and coquetted with Bulgaria while treating Greece disdainfully. The result is that the Allies have fallen between two stools. If the Allies had frankly asked our aid, tlio Greeks would not have hesitated a moment. Instead of that, England and France began demanding the sacrifice of ICavalla and Seres to our bitterest'foes. When' Greece was asked' to co-operate at the Dardanelles, we were warned on no account to dream of marching to Constantinople. The Greeks were forbidden, in deference to Russia, to show their flag within fifty miles of the Byzantine capital. Yet Geerce nourishes national dreains and ambitions. . "Nevertheless, we have not forgotten Gladstone a&d Byron. _ Though you bullied us, we turned"the other cheek, and .warned you of the difficulties and dangers of the Dardanelles expedition. Moreover, we offered for a perfected scheme of operations, which the Greek General Staff had worked out long ago, in the event of war with Turkey. Yet the' Allies ignored and humiliated_ us, and when we decided to continue neu-tral, almost goaded us into hostilities. "You laid an embargo on our commerce, held up our ships, and suppressed our cables. We were within an ace of starvation. Nevertheless, we have dona the ntmost for tho Allied cause, which your blundering, high-handed, and' haughty way permits. Now we have to face the problem how to prevent tho ingress of the Bn'gars, who have an eye upon Kavalla and Seres. . "We are under no delusions about the retrogression of occupied territory. Paper guarantees are at a discount nowadays." ' M. Skouloudis added that lie contemplated retiring from the Premiership in favour of M. Gounaris, who secured the largest following at the elections. ? 'A' BULGARIAN NEWSPAPER'S STATEMENT. Sofia, December 22. The newspaper "Mir" 'states that King Constantino recognised that as a military measure of precaution _ German and Bulgarian troops must pursue the | Entente troops on to Greek territory. , . ' s .