NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE latest attack of " horrible irritation and fury " (Marshal Tito's phrase) over Trieste now seems to be abating, but it was hot while it lasted. It blazed up out of mutual suspicion, with Italy convinced that Yugoslavia wasp aboht to annexe Zone B and Yugoslavia persuaded that Italy was on the point of occupying Zone A; and long before it came to its climax last week-end in the angry speeches of Signor Pella and Marshal Tito; Italian public opinion was inflamed and ready to support violent action. Italy's allies in NATO have had another clear demonstration of the explosive forces which Trieste may yet detonate in full if something is not done soon to take the fuse out. If the problem is not settled soon and with justice to Italy, said Signor Pella on Sunday, " our Parliament and Government will know how to make themselves the interpreters of the interests of the country and of the will of the nation "—an obscure enough statement which yet, it must be said, contains more of a threat than anything in Marshal Tito's almost simultaneous speech made at Split. " Let responsible people in the West," said Marshal Tito, " endeavour to find a way from the blind alley in some way or other." Neither he nor the Italian Prime Minister contrived to make the alley seem any less blind. Italy for good reasons demands a plebiscite for the whole of the territory, and for equally good reasons Yugoslavia rejects the suggestion and proposes the inter- nationalisation of the city and the cession of the hinterland to Yugoslavia. The deadlock is absolute. But at least both Signor Pella and Marshal Tito.have declared themselves in favour of a conference with Britain, France and America. At the moment it is hard to see how an acceptable agenda could be Concocted; but something sensible might conceivably come out of such a conference if Italy and Yugoslavia could bring themselves to permit the discussion of a third proposal, the Only one which so far shows a way out , of deadlock— a plebiscite to determine whether or.not Trieste should become a genuinely free and independent State. It would be worth trYing, however faint the hopes of agreement.
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