THE BALKANS: A Sort of Solidarity

At a banquet in the Peloponnesian city of Kalamata last week, King Paul of Greece casually broke the first rule of conduct for modern monarchs: he expressed a personal political opinion. Horrified by the slaughter in Hungary, the outspoken King called for a relentless fight against Communism, which he called “the enemy of all humanity.”

Twenty-four hours later, arriving in Belgrade on a good-will visit, Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis warmly clasped the proletarian paw of Marshal Tito. The inconsistency was more apparent than real: Greece’s alliance with Communist Yugoslavia is designed to protect them both from Russian attack. Reaffirming Greek-Yugoslavian solidarity, Karamanlis admitted that the Balkan Pact which links Greece, Yugoslavia and Turkey is currently “sleeping”—and will continue to slumber until Turkey and Greece are able to settle their differences over Cyprus.