International: Beastly Atrocities

The U.N. Security Council (at Lake Success, N.Y.) was officially treated to a study of Balkan problems last week. The subject: Greek-Albanian border incidents. The occasion: the submitting to the Security Council of reports by the Governments of Greece and the Socialist Soviet Republic of Ukraine (acting for Albania). Some distressing details: one Demetrios Drallios of Argyrochorion, a Greek, reported the loss of a mule; one Aliko Yaco of Radat, Albania, complained of the disappearance of an ox. Each Government charged the other with provocative acts. Among them: whitewashing frontier markers without permission; sending soldiers to slink about and ring cowbells, pretending that they were lost sheep.

The Ukrainian report charged that on June 14 a Greek civilian and six soldiers had sneaked across the Albanian border to whitewash the pyramidal frontier marker No. 23. Said the report: “Our patrol of Trustoniku ordered him not to whitewash it, but as the civilian did not obey, our soldiers fired at him. After an exchange of shots lasting for 30 minutes, the Greek soldiers withdrew to their post of Llapanica, wherefrom they started machine-gunning our soldiers. Our patrol did the same. There were no casualties.”

Proud conclusion: “It will not allow that a foreign step crosses over the pyramids of our frontier, beyond of which there is but Albanian territory.”

Even more disturbing was the bell-ringing incident: “Three Greek soldiers of Shon-Morise section secretly entered into our frontier ringing a hand bell to give the impression of a flock of. sheep.” But the Albanians were not deceived. “Actually they were reconnoitering our partisan frontier forces. One of the soldiers of our patrol, as soon as he heard the ringing of the hand bell, went to see what was happening. As soon as the Greeks saw our soldier they fired at him, intending to kill him. Our soldier, saving himself, took position and with his two other comrades have fired twice and forced the Greeks to withdraw.”

Later, Mr. Yaco’s ox disappeared in the course of a Greek incursion “50 meters” into Albanian territory. Mr. Drallios’ mule, the Greeks charged, was carried off by a foray of Albanian armed forces into Greece. It was “never restored.”