CFM Files
United States Delegation Journal
USDel (PC) (Journal) 43
M. Kardelj (Yugoslavia) spoke for sixty-five minutes on a statute for the Free Territory of Trieste. At the outset he emphasized that the economic future of Trieste depends upon a “right solution” of the problem of Trieste’s and Yugoslavia’s relationship. Yugoslavia cannot be expected to undertake obligations for a city which are dangerous or harmful to her interests he said. He referred to the concern of certain states for the rights of the people of Trieste and quoted: the French, American and British press, during the past few months, to prove that the real preoccupation of these states was with the problem of British versus Soviet domination of the Mediterranean. While recognizing the help and assistance which Yugoslavia had received from the Soviet Union, he insisted that the Soviet role was entirely disinterested, and denied that it was the intention of his country to put Trieste at the service of the U.S.S.R. The Yugoslav draft statute, based on three principles, internationalization, real union (with Yugoslavia), and democratic rights, was outlined by Kardelj along the following lines: 1) sovereignty of the Free Territory rests with the [Page 459] people of Trieste; 2) executive power belongs to the Council of Government, which is nominated by and responsible to the Popular Assembly; 3) the Constitution must guarantee the human rights; 4) judiciary power organized on basis of complete liberty and independence of judges; 5) nationality accorded to persons domiciled in Trieste on October 28, 1918 and during the census of 1936, excluding, however, Italian immigrants who have been war criminals, notorious Fascists, Fascist officials, or beneficiaries of Fascism; 6) Trieste must be an international free port, Yugoslavia having the right to establish a free zone therein; 7) a real union between Trieste and Yugoslavia consisting of monetary agreement, customs union, common railroad, post and telegraph administration, freedom of traffic and immigration across the frontiers and protection of Trieste’s interests abroad; 8) complete independence assured by the Security Council within a “real union with Yugoslavia”; 9) the Security Council shall supervise the observance of the Statute; 10) the Governors of the city will represent Yugoslav interests therein and handle the problems of “real union”; 11) neither the High Commissioner nor the Governor have the right to restrict the right of the people of Trieste to autonomy; 12) the Provisional Government will be based on the following considerations, a) the present military government will cease its functions within one month from the effective date of the Treaty, and b) an inter-Allied commission composed of the four Sponsoring Powers will exercise the powers of High Commissioner until a Constituent Assembly is elected.
Kardelj declared that the Soviet draft statute was in full agreement with the Yugoslav draft, which had its basis in true democracy, and that the Soviet draft, of course, corresponded to the decisions of the CFM. The structure of the British, American, and French drafts, however, was entirely different and he then proceeded to argue that these three drafts were undemocratic and would reduce the Free Territory of Trieste to the status of a colony or a mandated territory. He repeated M. Molotov’s expressions of concern that Trieste would become a military base for foreign powers. He quoted British constitutional law, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the French Revolution’s declaration of the rights of man to prove that the British, American, and French draft statutes for Trieste did not assure those principles to the citizens of the Free Territory.
Senator Connally presented the U.S. view on a statute for Trieste. He referred to the decision of the CFM to accept the French line as the boundary between Italy and Yugoslavia and then subsequently to establish a Free Territory of Trieste on the west side of the line. He emphasized the interest of the United States in adequate guarantees for the independence and integrity of the Free Territory as well as [Page 460] the provisions in the United States draft for free and secret election of a legislative assembly from which the Governing Council would be chosen. Regarding a customs union with Yugoslavia, the Senator surmised that the United Nations would have an interest in the customs arrangements of the Free Territory as a source of revenue, and that this problem should be worked out later between the Free Territory and UNO. He replied to M. Molotov’s concern about the demilitarization and neutralization of Trieste by quoting those parts of the United States draft which provide that no military forces or installations shall be maintained or manufactured in the Free Territory nor shall the military forces of any state be permitted to enter therein. The Conference, he said, was not convened to serve the interests of Italy or Yugoslavia; that both were subordinate to the peace of the area and of the world. The failure on the part of either country to accept entirely the settlement of this issue will be a failure in their duty to the world and ultimately react to the detriment of their own welfare. Europe, the Senator said, must do its part for peace since two wars have started in Europe involving the rest of the world. He concluded that Trieste must be in fact free—free from Yugoslavia and free from Italy, and that it should be a symbol of peace and security in the world.11
- For text of Senator Connally’s statement, see Department of State Bulletin, September 29, 1946, p. 570.↩