Evening star., 1947-08-03
Indonesio and the BoIkans

average layMeu must DC cACuSc0 IL tIlcy
find Russian logic bit battling. Within a
matter Of hours after his veto of measures
to pacify the Balkans, Mr.. Gromyko, the
Soviet member of the Security Council, has
voted in favor of action to establish i'm
| mediate peace in Indonesia. The two
dynamite laden situations are not iden-
ticaly of course, but they are suf1iciently
alike to make one marvel at how the
Kremlin can reason that what is bad medi-
cine for the one will be good for the other.
AS far as the Balkans are concerned, the
Russians, along with the satellite Poles,
have vetoed relatively mild peace-making
proposal supported by the nine other MEM
bers of the Council. This proposal sought
simply to have the Council call upon
Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Greece
to settle their border strife, and it sought
also to establish long-term United Ma
tions commission to act as policing and
mediating agency in the area. Promptly
after blocking this, however, the Soviet
Union has now voted vigorously to have
the Council order the Dutch and the In
ately and arrive at settlement "by arbi-
tration or by other peaceful means"
This action has been taken under the
provisions of Chapter VII of the U. N.
Charter, the most drastic provisions writ
ten in world law. Happily, both the Meth
erlands government and the Republic of
Indonesia are committed to carry out the
Councils order, and If they live up to their
commitment, there will be quick end to
the shooting between them, after which
they will mediate their differences, with
the United States and probably other men,
bers of the U. N. helping them. Thus,
although it has been paralyzed by the
Russians in the case of the Balkans, the
Security Council has received full Soviet
support to follow a. course of action that
promises to result in peaceful Dutch
Indonesian settlement
Friends of consistency everywhere must
ask why there should have been a Soviet
mo" in the one case and Soviet "yes" in
the other case when both cases share In
common the same fundamental feature
namely, that they involve warfare Of a
sort demanding that the Security Council
ish, French and Belgians have done on the
Indonesian issue, the Russians could have
abstained from voting on the Balkan pro-
posal and thus enabled the majority to
put out the fire. But they resorted to the
veto instead-a fact making their affirma-
tive vote on 1ndonesia seem supremely in
consistent. More important than that,
however, it is fact that places them wide
open to the charge of wanting Albania
Bulgaria and Yugoslavia to continue their
aggression in order to promote the collapse
Of the Athens government and eventually
force Greece to become part of the Krem-
Inns empire.
Naturally, the Russians will Indignantly
deny this charge, but deeds speak much
louder than words. If the Stain govern
ment is pure of heart it can prove it easily
enough. 1t can do so by retreating
from its Balkan veto when the Security
Council takes up the American-backed
Greek request to apply Chapter VII of the
Charter to end the warfare along the
Greek frontier. That is the same chapter
that has brought "yes" vote from Mr..
Gromyko to promote peace in 1ndonesia.
Why not Eyes" for the Balkans as well?