Evening star., 1944-12-27
Truce Is Ended
|AsGreeksSh
British Warship
Churchill Pleads
For Harmony at
AII-Porty Meeting
B, the Associated Press.

ATHENS, Dec. 27.-The British
announced today that ELIAS ar
tillery had broken a conference
truce by firing on British war
ship and the Anglo-Greek naval
headquarters late yesterday and
that, as a result, offensive air ac-
tion would begin again.
The British informed the ELIAS
the truce was regarded as null and
void.
Meanwhile, Greek Populist Party
members declared that peace pro-
posals by representatives of the
left-wing ELIAS were unacceptable
and the conference called by Prime
Minister Churchill ended its second
session today without an agreement,
The ELIAS offered terms which
former Premier Stylianos Gonatas
said ARE inadmisable He declared
that 'if accepted, they would mean
the complete dissolution of the
state"
Other members of the conference
said they would consider the terms
and reply later.
Agreement Reported Broken.
Yesterday afternoon it had been
agreed that no artillery action would
be taken on one side or air ac-
ton on the other for three-quar-
ters of an hour from pm, while
ELIAS delegates were being brought
to last nights conference at which
Prime Minister Churchill appealed
for the warning factions to end their
strife.
The conference was so tense that
all delegates surrendered their side
arms at the door.
The British announced that the
first shell fell at $40 pm. near q
British warship at Piraeus. The
second landed little later near the
naval headquarters.
| Nevertheless, the British said an.
other 45-minute truce would be ar
ranged today for the protection Of
I ELIAS delegates attending q second
session Of the conference.
}. British guards returned the ELIAS
guns to them when they left last
nights conference under safe con-
duct agreement.
Churchill Speaks.
Whether Greece is a monarchy
or a republic is a matter for the
Greeks and the Greeks alone to de-
eide" the Prime Minister told the
assemDlage before he and other
British representatives retired and
left the Greeks to continue the con-
ference alone. IAN we wish you is
good, and good for all" Mr.. Church.
i'll added.
Britain's only interest in using her
troops in the current civil war, Mr..
Churchill asserted, is to bring an end
to disorder and make possible an
election by secret ballot.
The session, convened at a secret
site while continuing gunfire sounded
in the distance, broke up after four
and one-half hours.
An hour before the meeting ended
Themistokles Sophoulis, Liberal par
ty leader, left the conference room.
There was no explanation. Neither
was there any announcement Of
what occurred after the Allied rep
resentatives left.
Leftists Are Late.
Called to order an hour and one
half late, the conference began
without representatives of the left
wing National Political Front
(EAM) party whose armed militia,
the ELIAS, is opposing Greek Right
lists and British troops.
After Mr.. Churchill had been
speaking for about five minutes,
however, three EAM delegates were
ushered in. Each shook hands with
all at the conference table and the
Prime Minister began his speech
again.
Mr.. Churchill declared that Brit
ish troops came to Greece with
fCaa I'D Esrs(SU1 noro TN