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Show GREY DEFENDS BRITISH STAND II GREEK CASE English Secretary of Foreign Affairs Censures King Constantine and Skou-loudis Skou-loudis Ministry. SAYS ALLIES ACTED WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS Declares Troops Were Sent to Saloniki With Express Approval of Then -Greece Head. LONDON", Dec. S, 6:20 p. m. The following statement on the Greek situa-tion, situa-tion, which is authorized by Viscount Grey, British secretary for foreign affairs, af-fairs, has been handed to the Associated Associat-ed Press: It sometimes ha3 been said by critics in neutral countries that our presence in Greece does not differ dif-fer appreciably from the presence of the Germans in Belgium. It is not meant to suggest that our troops ever have been guil ty of tho excesses and atrocities which now are reaching their climax in the Belgian deportations, but that the landing of our troops at Saloniki Sa-loniki can no more bo defended from a juristic point of view than the German invasion by way of Liege in August, 191-t. Explanation Unnecessary. The position of Belgium before the German invasion needs no explanation. ex-planation. The ablest historians have made it perfectly clear that the neutrality of Belgium was guaranteed guar-anteed by certain powers, one of which was Germany; that Germany on tho derisor pretext that she might have to meet a French invasion inva-sion through Belgium first delivered deliv-ered to that country an ultimatum roquiring her to allow the unhindered unhin-dered passage of German troops, and that then, on the demand's being met with an unqualified refusal re-fusal (Belgium 's only possible reply re-ply consonant with loyalty to her other guarantors), she proceeded to occupy the country, with the results re-sults which are only too well known to us all. 1 The form in which the protesting Sowers Great Britain, Prance and ussia guaranteed the kingdom of Greece is less well known to tho neutral world. It is more ancient history and to some extent wrapped up in the technicalities of diplo- -inatie language. Treaty Signed. On July 13, 1833, a treaty -was signed containing the following as its third article: ' ' Greece, under the sovereignty of Prince William of Denmark and the guarantor of the three courts, forms a monarchial independent constitutional state.0 The first article of the treaty provides pro-vides that Greek sovereignty should be hereditary, so that Prince William Wil-liam afterward was known as King George. His descendants are on precisely the same terms in this respect. re-spect. It is the duty of the protecting pro-tecting powers to in'suro that the Greek state should retain the three characteristics mentioned in the third article, and the means by which they must do so in a last resort re-sort are indicated in an unrepealed article in the protocol treaty of February 1, 1S30, to the effect that "no troops belonging to one of the contracting powers shall be allowed to enter the territory of the new Greek sto.te without the consent of the tw0 other courts who signed the treaty.'' Censure Constantine. f The unconstitutional behavior of King Constantino, his refusal to abide by the terms of the Greek treaty with Serbia and the f lout-! lout-! icg of the decisions of M. Vcnizelos ! and his parliamentary majoritv i hardly admit of denial, "even by the Germans, who content themselves with saying he acted for what he believed to be tho best interests i of his country. As Great Britain, France and Russia have uniformly acted together, the whole matter of S their la in ling troops to neutralize the king's unconstitutional action was both their right and their dutv. Objection may possibly &e brought that the ' arguments" up to this point rest on technicalities in old treaties, and, in order to justify jus-tify our action, at any rate morally, we must show that we were not acting against the wishes of the Greek people. Action Approved. i To this may bo replied without tho possibility of controversion, that our troops went to Saloniki with the I express approval of the then head of the Greek government, and that he had suggested the stipulation in j the Greco-Scrbian treaty for a pro-j pro-j vision by which the Serbian gnv- ernment needs could, in view of the j (Continued on Page Two.) GREY DEFENDS STAND OF ALLIES II GREECE V (Continued from Pago One.) default of Greece on this point, be fulfilled by the dispatch into Greek territory of an equivalent force by Great Britain and France. Nothing that has happened since Hie landing at fSaloniki can, of course, affect tho legal position of the allies in sending troops there, but proofs have come thick and fast of the unconstitutional policy of the king and of the tfknuPudis minis-trv, minis-trv, who existed simply to enrry out Ins policy. When M. Skouloudis was taxed by sfome of his deceived colleagues col-leagues with the surrender of Fort Kupel, he showed them a document docu-ment from the German minister guaranteeing that the fort would ,be returned to Greece later on, and this document was dated three days before its surrender, proving that Ihere was do question of seizure and forcible occupation. Had No Choice. Who can then be surprised at the action of M. Veni'.elos in declaring a provisional government? He, has expressly stated that he holds not auti monarchial or anti-dynast ie views, lie has taken his way, as the protecting powers have taken theirs, to bring the king back to the constitutional regime by which alone he exists. Jt was sanctioned, and prohably required by their treaty obligations, of which it was a natural corrollary, and was carried car-ried out the fact cannot be stated too often with the expressed approval ap-proval of the one man who could and did represent the Greek gov-ernmentVind gov-ernmentVind people to us. The events of the last few days have brought out-in a striking way the almost intolerable difficulties with which the protecting powers have had to deal. During the past months they have had on several occasions oc-casions to take steps to exact from the Greek government the "benevolent "benev-olent neutrality" which had been promised them, and it should be realized that this "benevolent neutrality" neu-trality" wa3 a minimum. Greece had constitutionally declared for something much more, and benevolent benevo-lent neutrality was a small remnant rem-nant of it promised by the government govern-ment which succeeded that of M. Venizelos. Disregard Promise. But even this promise was not carried out. Thfc Greek posts, telegraphs tele-graphs and wireless stations were being used to the prejudice of the allies. The police and so-called re- , servist associations were becoming centers -of anti-allied propaganda, and the enemy legations had become be-come the agencies of an elaborate system of espionage. These dangers dan-gers had to be averted, and it was also necessary to ask the Greek government to hand over to the allies al-lies an amount of material equivalent equiva-lent to that with which it had furnished fur-nished the central powers by the pre-arranged surrender of Fort Ru-pel Ru-pel and Kavala. This the king had spontaneously offered to hand over to the allies, and when the obligation was not fulfilled the demand for the surrender surren-der of the material was the cause for the recent grave disturbances. Troops, Landed. Allied troops were landed to enforce en-force this demand, and, although a definite promise had been given by the king and government that order would be maintained and that the Greek royalist troops would in no case begin hostilities, the allied troops were treacherously attacked and suffered considerable losses. 1 The royalists also took advantage of theN situation to treat the adherents adher-ents of M. Venizelos, who are in the minority in Athens itself, with the grossest brutality, of whh-h particulars are now beginning to. arrive. The behnvtor of the royalist gov- eminent during the past week is the strongest justification of the at til tide of the protecting powers toward Greece during past months. |