REPORTS OF THE COMMISSIONS



                             [Annex 6]
        Statement by the Greek Delegation on Article 21

MINORITY REPORT ON THE AMENDMENT PROPOSED To BE INSERTED IN
  ARTICLE 21 OF THE DRAFT PE.ACE TREATY WITH BULGARIA AS PARA-
  GRAPH 7 (C.P.Gen.Doc.1.J.27)
  On the question of rolling stock removed by Bulgaria, Greece's posi-
tion is quite different from that of the other United Nations for the
following reasons:
  1) After the Armistice, the Bulgarians carried off 1303 wagons and
31 locomotives from Macedonia thus depriving Greece, which had
already lost 90% of her rolling stock during the war and occupation, of
the small amount which she still possessed in Macedonia.
  2) Because of the suspension of communications northwards, as a
result of the destruction of the railway line between Greece and Yugo-
slavia, Greece, under Article 21, para. 6, as formulated in the draft
Treaty, will, on the one hand, be deprived of the rolling stock taken
from her, independently of its place of origin, and, on the other hand,
will not be able to claim restitution of her own rolling stock in other
European countries. Yet, her needs are of so urgent a character, and
the transport situation in her Northern provinces is so bad that the
supply of food to these provinces by UNRRA has on several occasions
almost been interrupted.
  It is absolutely unjust and incomprehensible that two years after
the Armistice, according to which Bulgaria was bound to return the
rolling stock-which she has not yet done-the country's food supply
should suffer for lack of transport facilities.
  3) In conformity with international agreements, this rolling stock
should be returned to the administrations to which it belongs, not by
Bulgaria, but by Greece, as soon as the latter's own rolling stock has
been returned.
  Moreover, Bulgaria has no grounds for disputing the obligation to
return rolling stock removed by force from Greek territory by con-
testing the title to such stock on behalf of third parties.
  The question of the return of this material was discussed in
ECITO. The U.S.S.R. representative M. Erzin proposed that the
question be referred to the Peace Conference. This is the only possible
solution considering that Bulgaria is not a member of ECITO.
  It should be noted that Bulgaria, when asked on several occasions by
ECITO to supply information on the question, refused either to fur-
nish it or to take part in the census of rolling stock on European railway
systems ordered by ECITO.



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