Both Czechoslovakia and Democratic Federal Yugoslavia were among 51 original member states of the United Nations. Close relations between the two states were canceled after the Tito–Stalin split of 1948. Yugoslavia supported reformist Alexander Dubček and political liberalization in Czechoslovakia which took place in the period of Prague Spring. Contrary to its verbal support to Soviet intervention in Hungary in 1956, Yugoslavia strongly condemned the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. On 12 July 1968 President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito gave an interview to Egyptian daily Al-Ahram where he stated that he believes that Soviet leaders are not "such short-sighted people [...] who would pursue a policy of force to resolve the internal affairs of Czechoslovakia". President Tito visited Prague on 9 and 10 August 1968, just days before the intervention while large group of 250,000 demonstrators gathered in Belgrade once the intervention started. Yugoslavia provided refuge for numerous Czechoslovak citizens (many on holidays) and politicians including Ota Šik, Jiří Hájek, František Vlasak and Štefan Gašparik.