In the Balkan

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2, 31 August 1915, Page 5

In the Balkan

CERMAN DESIGNS ON SERBIJ United Press Association. London, August 3( The Times' Bucharest correspond says that Austria and Germany . ; using every means to cause a war tween Bulgaria and her neighl>< while the Entente is trying to pronj an understanding on the basis of S bian-Grecian concessions to Bulgari

Competent experts expect that; German invasion of Serbia will be;

in a few days

ROUMANIANS RECALLED.

Rome,, August 3( All Roumanian officers in Swit: land have been recalled.

GREECE'S CONTINUED SYM PATHY.

London, August 29

The Times' correspondent at Ath« has visited the different Balks States since the crisis became aeu enjoying favorable opportunities ascertaining the best opinion of i four capitals, besides interview MM. Pasitch arid*Venezelos.

Until August 10 the Serbian a: tide was. strongly opposed to -,

Macedonian concessions, but tl: there was a marked change. 1

Government remained theoretiea unwilling to concede Bulgaria's la claims, and did not acquiesce in | junction of Bulgaria.and Albania, insisted on the necessity of an opl way to Salonika, but nevertheless tj tone of the Serbian Government.« so conciliatory and disposed to enti tain the proposals that it seemed e dent that only straightforwardness? Bulgaria's part was needed to achie, an understanding.

Sim ill taneously, Germa nophile

cles at Sofia stated that a strong Ail tro-German attack on the Serbij norih-ewst frontier'was fixed for S| tember 10-15. and, asserted that $ Kaiser liad declared his finally wiping'Serbia off the map wli| eii, route to, Constantinople: ,Tf

Serbian Government was not inipres ] , ■ I ed.. ( v -.' : Tlie correspondent continued I "Greece's continued sympathy m the Allies is unimpaired; Mi Yoi, zelos: assured me to that effect I day,"" •

THE POSITION SUMMED UP.

London, • August 29

Sir Edwin Pears, in an interne with tlie. Daily Chronicle, said til* if Bulgaria secures a promise Serbia and the Allies that Maceron .will be rJ'estored: to her, he believ< that, despite'King Ferdinand, trl

has leaiutijjs,, she ,wil) L ?,ep in, and if she joins the Allies Gre<

Sir Edwin Pears continues:-—||ij Fei'dinaiid is n born diplomat, who b 'gtfn life as an A'u-ttian officer. ■ I

possesses vast estates, in pfiingarj and he is very" vain and ambitious I fear his unscrupulous foreign l po'icj owing to tije foot .that the Bulgarian} group system, is almost entirely in hi hands. Nevertheless. Bulgaria, .whi' is democratic in name, may becbn* in a crisis like the present, derac era tic in reality. - King Ferdinand if

gards Bulgaria as the Prussia of thj Balkans, and I fancy he even oad made preparation for his own coronal tion as the Byzantine Emperor » Saint Sofia. It would he a misiakj to overestimate the influence ed by the Royal families, but it m». e not be underestimated at this mooven; in Roumania, Bulgaria, Greece, Swe den, a»d Russia.

Regarding Greece, the Queen, wl has great influence with King Coi stantine, quite recently brought Glee*

within measurable distance of a re volution, and M. Venezelos' concert to-day is rather how far .he can rel; on the army, which is not inclined t« take great risks. M. Yenezelos is it favor of conciliating Bulgaria, aw for adequate compensation would per haps surrender Kavalla. Had Greett joined the Allies originally she would have had the province of Aiden, with Smyrna as its capital. Even now th< abominable Turkish outrages ob Greeks at Aivali make it certain thai the Allies' success, if Greece supports them, will imply a very larg* extension of territory in Asia Miiwvy

The key of the situation is the arrangement between Bulgaria and Serbia. If Serbia surrenders Macedonia, .this will probably ensure the aid of Roumania and Greece. The King of Roumania, as a Hohenssollern, naturally looks towards Germany, but this in itself is insufficient to. keep Ruu- . mania neutral. She, like Bulgaria, is ( somewhat afraid that Russia's success will imply the occupation of Constan- . tinople. and consequently the 'transformation of the Balkans into Russian provinces, lint the danger from their standpoint is less great than formerly. The German alliance with Turkey compels them to favor Russia, ratfyer ' than the Teutons. Roumania is populous, wealthy and powerful, and 1 am hopeful that her relations with Bulgaria and Russia will soon enable her to participate in the war. \ Regarding Turkey's future, if the Dardanelles are forced she must leave Furope. She has lost telle Aegeans. and lose part of Asia Minor, while Adrianople will revert to Bulgaria. My solution would be to create Constantinople, and the country surounding Marmora, the Bosphorus, and the Dardanelles, into an international co'mmission similar to that of the Daiiuhian States, which ha s been so, successful. Constantinople and the; Dardanelles would bo unfortified, in* . asnuich as by the new guaranteed inI ternatioualijty dafeniaes will hd anfrg