Tito Lets the Cat Out
After an interval of a few months the chronic problem of Trieste has been prematurely pushed back into the news. President Tito, by making public the scheme which Yugoslavia has been discussing with the United States and Britain and which Mr. Dulles has already put to Signor Scelba, has lessened the chances of a successful conference. The Yugoslav proposal accepts the partition of the Territory which already exists de facto; with the exception of two villages and a small strip of land in Zone A which Italy would be required to surrender. Italy, furthermore, would have to give a special status to its Slav minority. There is also a suggestion that a new port will be built, with American assistance, in Zone B. Until President Tito let the cat out of the bag formally (it had slipped out informally a week or two ago) there seemed to be some hope that Italy could be persuaded to negotiate on this basis. But now things are made difficult for Britain and America, and no less difficult for Signor Scelba. There is the air of an ultimatum about President Tito's statement, which describes the'proposal as a final concession. The first reaction in Italy was to interpret it as a " take or leave it" attitude. ll Giornale del Mattino, for example, doubts whether President Tito has any real desire to come to an agreement. But it is known, on the contrary, that he is exceedingly anxious to put the problem of Trieste behind him and get on with strengthening and enlarging the Balkan pact, with which Italy may yet be associated. All that can be said is that he is going a queer way about it. Italy's self esteem is bound up far more intricately than Yugoslavia's in Trieste. If that is injured there will be, no settlement, and if there is no settlement there will be no Italian ratification of the EDu treaty. One way and another the safety of the whole south- eastern corner of Europe depends on Trieste.
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