New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-30

Austro-Hungdridn Predominance
in the Balkans Re-QSSeted
Count Berchtold Tells of Good
Relations with Neighbors
to the South.
tBy cable to The Tribune. !

! Vienna. Nov 29-The secretary Tor
foreign affairs for the Dual-Monarchy,
/ Court Berchtod, in an interview
granted to your correspondent this
week. made some statements Of i'm
portance touching Austro-Hungarian
relations, particularly so Ear as the
! Balkan States are concerned. Some OF
his utterances will interest American
/ readers.
| Since things in the Balkans have
begun to readjust themselves again.
said Count Berchtold, zone thing Is be-
coming plain. that Austria Hungary
has not lost her predominant influence
| in that peninsula despite all intrigues
working in a contrary direction. our
relations, in fact with all the Bal
kan powers are at this moment better
than they have been for years past.
and in this ! include Servia.
our latest active step, undertaken
in conjunction with Italy although it
has been misConstructed in certain
quarters. was eminentiy in the service
Of peace. and II was nothing more nor
less than "A friendly reminder 10 Greece
TO aid. instead OF retarding, the thank
less and difficult labors Of the delimi-
tation commission in Southern Al
bania In this we only carried out the
unanimous resolution of the London
conference. And as being geographi-
cally and politically the two most in
terested powers the task Of imparting
this amicable piece Of advice naturally
devolved on Italy and this country
much as a somewhat similar task in
regard to Mexico, and for similar rea-
sons. devolves on the United States.
"Gndisputable information had GER
tainly reached us that this delimitation
commission was being systematically
hindered and overawed in its work
with, at the very least the connivance
OF the Greek government. This was a
foolish thing 10 do, surely, for little
Greece cannot hope to overreach the
whole of Europe. In the matter OF the
islands controversy with Turkey we
wish Greece the best OF success. but as
to the final settlement OF the Albanian
territory question we must say to
Greece, Hands off.
Greece is very ambltious-legiti-
mately so-and her marvellous achieve
ments during the last two wars have
naturally increased her self-esteem and
heightened her warlike spirit But she
cannot hope TO upset an arrangement
as TO Albania devised and sanctioned
by the whole OF Europe, and which,
being the result of a compromise, was
arrived at only by dint of mutual con-
cessions and sacrifices. True states
manship consists in combining ones self
TO the attalnablc. The real friends of
Greece will help her 10 learn this truth.
AS TO the other Balkan countries we
are on more intimate terms with them
than ever. We have no quarrel no diff
ference, with any. Rumania. by the
very course of the whole Balkan strug
gle, by the helping diplomatic hand we
stretched out to her at critical mo-
ments OF the drama, although never
having doubted our friendship for a
moment before has reknit faster than
ever the bonds which have united the
two countries for so many years. She
sees in US, with reason, the most sin
cere and DISTINGUISHED friend she has !
Bulgaria, too. has found her way |
back to those friendly and even init !
mate relations with Austria Hungary |
from which she seemed to stray but for |,
q short time under unsafe leadership. !
She now knows the value Of our friend |
ship. Demagogues will not again be /
able 10 befog the public opinion Of so |
sterling a people as the Bulgarian peo- |
pie is and remains in spite Of all re- |
cent reverses and errors. And as TO |
Servia, those new commercial treaties