Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V

U.N. doc. A/1307

Report of the United Nations Special Committee on the Balkans¹

August 27, 1950

[Extract]

Chapter V

conclusions

206. In conformity with the terms of General Assembly resolution 288 (IV) of 18 November 1949,² the Special Committee has consistently endeavoured to promote the establishment of normal diplomatic and good-neighbourly relations between Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia on the one hand and Greece on the other. The Government of Greece has continued to co-operate with the Special Committee, while the Governments of Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, as in the past, have refused either to co-operate with it or to recognize it.

207. Diplomatic and good-neighbourly relations between Greece on the one hand and Albania and Bulgaria on the other do not exist. Diplomatic relations between Greece and Yugoslavia exist and an agreement was reached between the two Governments on 21 May 1950 for an exchange of Ministers.

208. In view of the elimination of large-scale guerrilla activity along the northern frontiers of Greece, as a result of the operations of the Greek Army in 1949, the Special Committee believes that the threat to the political independence and territorial integrity of Greece has altered in character. The organized guerrilla movement within Greece now consists of the activities of scattered bands. Nevertheless, many thousands of Greek guerrillas fled beyond the northern frontiers of Greece; the disarming and disposition of these guerrillas have not been verified by any international agency; and the Greek guerrilla leaders themselves claim that their forces still exist. While the guerrilla leaders have of necessity suspended, at any rate for the time being, their effort to dominate Greece by armed force, their aims have not been abandoned. The Greek guerrilla radio continues to operate from Romanian territory. Apart from the fact that guerrillas are being harboured outside Greece, the remnants of the movement within Greece have not been dissolved.

209. While Yugoslavia has maintained the policy, announced in July 1949, of closing her frontier with Greece, and frontier relations between the two countries have, for the most part, been correct, there is evidence to indicate that Bulgaria, in particular, has continued to give moral and material assistance to guerrilla raiding and sabotage parties on and near the Greek border. Aid of this nature to the Greek guerrillas on the part of Bulgaria and also Albania has necessarily been considerably reduced because of the flight of the bulk of the guerrillas from Greek territory, but it has not ceased. The Special Committee is of the opinion that the continuing potential threat to Greek political independence and territorial integrity is to be found at present chiefly in Bulgaria.

210. Large numbers of Greek guerrillas are known to be present in various countries of eastern Europe as a consequence of the guerrilla retreat. The States harbouring them have failed to give effect to the General Assembly’s recommendations with respect to the verification by an international agency of their disarming and disposition.

211. With regard to the repatriation of Greek nationals at present in countries to the north of Greece as a result of the military Operations and subsequent retreat of Greek guerrilla forces, the Special Committee has consistently endeavoured to assist in achieving a solution of the problem. It has noted that the amelioration of the situation in Greece has given rise to conditions which would facilitate the peaceful repatriation to Greece of those Greek nationals who desire to return and live in accordance with the law of the land.

212. Likewise, the Special Committee has given serious consideration to the important problem of the repatriation of Greek military personnel captured by the Greek guerrillas and removed by them to the countries to the north of Greece. Despite repeated requests by the Government of Greece, and in violation of international practice, no lists of these prisoners have been circulated by the Governments concerned and all efforts made by the Special Committee to assist in their repatriation have proved futile.

213. The Special Committee has viewed with the gravest concern the fact that no Greek children have yet been repatriated to their homes in Greece. The Special Committee has noted the definite proposals of the Yugoslav Government indicating that it intended to fulfil the terms of the resolution of the General Assembly regarding this question, and that seventeen Greek children from Yugoslavia had been sent to their parents in Australia. But apart from this, the two unanimous resolutions of the General Assembly calling for the repatriation of the children removed from Greece during the course of the guerrilla warfare have had no practical results, despite the untiring efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the international Red Cross organizations. The failure of the States concerned to return these children to their homes has given rise to widespread indignation and sorrow. The basic failure to resolve this problem constitutes a continuing source of international friction, as well as a standing challenge to the United Nations and to the most elementary humanitarian principles.

214. The problem of international refugees in Greece has continued to develop during the course of the past year. In view of the movement of political and other refugees across the northern frontiers into Greece, the Special Committee is convinced that an international body should remain in charge of the work being accomplished in Greece at present by the International Refugee Organization. The Special Committee also believes that it would be advantageous that these refugees should be resettled outside Greece.

215. The Special Committee considers that the vigilance of the United Nations with respect to the political independence and territorial integrity of Greece has been, and remains, a significant factor in maintaining peace in the Balkans. Nevertheless, the remaining problems of the Greek guerrilla warfare and outstanding international difficulties with regard to the Greek question still constitute a source of danger, if of a modified nature.

216. Among the problems still remaining, the urgent solution of which constitutes a prerequisite for the restoration of normal relations between Greece and its northern neighbours are: international verification of the disarming and disposition of Greek guerrillas outside Greece; the repatriation of Greek children—a problem which has done much to perpetuate bad relations between Greece and its northern neighbours; the repatriation of detained Greek soldiers and other Greek nationals; and conclusion of conventions for the regulation and control of the common frontiers between Greece and its northern neighbours. Only when these problems have been solved, in compliance with the General Assembly’s recommendations, will conditions in the Balkans be such as to permit the re-establishment of normal relations between the four Governments.

Chapter VI

recommendations

217. In the light of the evidence before the Special Committee and its conclusions drawn therefrom, and subject to the right to submit supplementary or revised recommendations prior to the opening of the fifth session of the General Assembly, if deemed advisable:

The Special Committee Recommends:

1. That the General Assembly take note of the assistance given to the Greek guerrillas by Albania, and by Bulgaria in particular, in disregard of the Assembly’s recommendations, as being contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and endangering peace in the Balkans;

2. That the General Assembly call upon all Member States and all other States, and especially Albania and Bulgaria, to do nothing which would encourage or permit a renewal of armed action against Greece;

3. That the General Assembly once more call upon Albania, Bulgaria and Greece to establish diplomatic relations and to renew previously operative frontier conventions or conclude new ones providing effective machinery for the regulation and control of their common frontiers and for the peaceful adjustment of frontier incidents along the lines suggested by the Special Committee;

4. That the General Assembly again call upon all States concerned, and in particular Albania and Bulgaria, to permit international verification of the disarming and disposition of the Greek guerrillas who have entered their respective territories;

5. That the General Assembly again recommend to all Members of the United Nations and to all other States:

(a) To refrain from the direct or indirect provision of arms or materials of war to Albania and Bulgaria until the Special Committee or another competent United Nations organ has determined that the unlawful assistance of these States to the Greek guerrillas has ceased;

(b) To take into account, in their relations with Albania and Bulgaria, the extent to which those two countries henceforth abide by the recommendations of the General Assembly in their relations with Greece;

6. That the General Assembly again call upon Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia and all other States harbouring or detaining Greek nationals, as a result of the guerrilla operations against Greece, to facilitate the peaceful repatriation to Greece of all such individuals who may desire to return and live in accordance with the law of the land;

7. That the General Assembly, in a humanitarian spirit, detached from political or ideological considerations, make every possible effort to find some means of restoring the Greek children to their homes;

8. That the General Assembly consider the advisability of maintaining an appropriate United Nations agency on the Balkans, in the light of the current international situation and of conditions prevailing along the northern frontiers of Greece.

Done at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, in the English and French languages, this thirty-first day of July, one thousand nine hundred and fifty.

Representative of:	(Signed)
Australia	B. C. Ballard3
Brazil	S. Rangel de Castro4
China	Wen Yuan-ning
France	Émile Charvériat
Mexico	F. Castillo Najera5
Netherlands	P. C. Visser6
Pakistan	Ali Haider Abbasi
Poland
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	W. L. C. Knight7
United States of America	Jefferson Patterson
The Principal Secretary	Raoul Aglion

1. This report, U.N. document A/1307, covering the period from mid-September 1949 to July 1950, was released for publication on August 27, 1950.
2. See editorial note, Foreign Relations, 1949, vol. vi, p. 456.
3. Bertram C. Ballard.
4. Sylvio Rangel de Castro.
5. Dr. Francisco Castillo Najera.
6. Philips C. Visser.
7. William L. C. Knight.