AIMS OF PARTISANS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 200, 22 May 1944, Page 5

AIMS OF PARTISANS

Formal Recognition Urged By Tito (Received May 21, 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, May 20. The Germans, helped by local traitors, have destroyed one-twelfth of the ©lav population of Yugoslavia. Marshal Tito claimed this in a special interview, the report of which was banned by the censorship, but is now released Among written answers which Marshal Tito gave in the interview were the following: The Yugoslav Committee of National Liberation wants but does not demand formal recognition by Britain, America and Russia., It wants the control of the Yugoslav National Bank gold, the Yugoslav warships seized by Italy and recaptured by the Allies, and the merchantmen administered by I\ing Peter’s Government. . ' Marshal Tito claimed that 100,090 national liberation soldiers had been killed in the last three years. His Partisans hold 130,000 square kilometres of liberated territory, containing more than 5,000,000 people. [Yugoslavia’s pre-war propulation was 14,000,000.] London reports say that the Yugoslav military mission headed by General Velehit and Major Vogelnic will be leaving Britain shortly to return to Yugoslavia after the completion of their mission. Brigadier-General Mac Lean. chief of the British military mission to Marshal Tito, is accompanying them. Bitter Fighting. Partisan detachments in the Zara region have occupied the town of Novigrad, in Dalmatia, reports a Yugoslav communique. In Slovenia a pitched battle is raging in the area of Novo Mesto. Two trains were blown up. In eastern Bosnia there is extremes fierce fighting on all sectors. In Croatia the fighting has now reached a peak in Lika Province. The Partisans are offering stubborn resistance and arc carrying out counter-attacks. On some sectors the fighting is extremely bitter and there have been high losses on both sides.