THE VARKIZA AGREEMENT

THE VARKIZA AGREEMENT

The signatories below, on one side I. Sofianopoulos, N. Ralis and I. Makropoulos from the Greek government delegation and on the other side G. Siantos, CPG Central Committee Secretary, D. Partsalidis, EAM Central Committee Secretary, and I. Tsirimokos, ELD General Secretary forming the EAM Central Committee delegation. The two groups met in Varkiza and together explored the means and manner by which to terminate the civil war and bring reconciliation to the Greek people. The following agreements were reached:

The government delegation expressed strong will to end the sorrowful internal crisis without further bloodshed and restore unity, internal peace and political order. Only then would the Greek people undertake a creative effort to rebuild the country from the ruins caused by the heavy fighting with external enemies and from the fratricidal war.

In order for the Agreement to receive impartial and moral character, expressing the words of the Greek people’s political conscience, the government delegation recommended that the Agreement be proclaimed as the resolute will of the Greek people for the development of free and normal political life, whose main feature will be respect of political opinion for the citizens, peaceful campaigning, the spread of political ideas, respect for freedom and respect for the Atlantic Charter Proclamation and the Tehran Decision in good conscience for the peoples who have fought for it.

The meeting concluded with full consent of these views and principles by the EAM delegation.

Article 1

Agreement

The government, in accordance with the Constitution and ruling Democratic principles, will ensure that every party has the right to freely express its political beliefs. The government will abolish former laws that prohibit freedoms and will ensure personal

freedoms such as freedom of gatherings, association and of the press are not inhibited. The government will establish full freedom for trade unions.

Article 2

Abolition of military law

Military law will be lifted immediately after signing this Agreement. With the abolition of military law, a constitutional protocol similar to KD will come into effect, thus permitting the abolition of article KD included in the Constitution.

The validity of Articles 5, 10, 12, 20 and 95 of the Constitution will be immediately postponed with decrees. The postponement will continue until administrative, judicial and military authorities in the country are fully established. Whatever is considered more special up to Article 5 must be postponed in Athens and Piraeus together with their suburbs and neighbourhoods. Especially again, for those arrested to date, it is determined that Article 5 of the Constitution does not apply. They will be released as soon as possible by sending the necessary orders to the competent authorities.

EAM supporters arrested and held by other organizations will soon be released.

Article 3

Amnesty

All political offenses committed from December 3, 1944 to the signing of this Agreement will be amnestied. Excluded are ordinary offenses committed against life and property that were not necessary for the successful execution of political offenses. The applicable laws will be published after the signing of this Agreement. Excluded from the amnesty are those members of ELAS, EP and ELAN who are obliged to surrender their arms and who do not surrender them by March 15, 1945. This last provision, after confirming that ELAS has surrendered all its weapons, will no longer be justified and will be abolished.

Guarantees and details for the amnesty will be provided for in the present bill now being drafted.

Article 4

Hostages

All citizens arrested by ELAS or EP will be immediately released.

Article 5

The national army, except for the professional officers and NCOs, will consist of citizens of draft age. Reserve officers, NCOs and soldiers of existing formations who are especially trained on new weapons will remain in service. Ieros Lohos will remain as it is while it is under the direct command of the Allied Headquarters and then will be merged with the national army in accordance with the basis set out above. Effort will be made to expand regular recruitment throughout Greece in accordance with the technical opportunities and emerging needs. After demobilizing ELAS, those fighters who would be invited annually in accordance with the attached plan, will enter existing units. The rest will be released from duty. All active staff of the national army will be evaluated by the Commission under Article 7 of the Constitutional protocol. Political and social beliefs of the mobilized citizens will be respected.

Article 6

Demobilization

Armed resistance forces, specifically ELAS, regulars and reserves, EAM (probably refers to ELAN) and the National Militia are to be demobilized when this Agreement comes into effect. Demobilization and decommissioning of weapons will be carried out according to a specifically planned protocol planned by a technical committee.

The state will regulate requisitions made by ELAS. Requisitioned items by ELAS, including livestock, automobiles, etc., will be handed out by the state according to the modalities laid out in the shaped protocol and, as of now, will be regarded as requisitions made by the Greek state.

Article 7

Purging officials

A government appointed commission or board shall commence the purge of civil servants, NPDD officials, city and municipal officials, etc. The criteria for purging will be - qualification, character and morality, cooperation with the enemy and the use of official authority as an organ of a dictatorship. Officials who belonged in the above categories during the occupation and who joined the resistance will be returned to their former place and evaluated the same way as other employees. The same board will also evaluate officials who participated or cooperated in the December 3, 1944 events, after the signing of this document. There will be opportunities for promotions to be determined by the government that emerges from the elections.

Article 8

Security unit purges

Purging of security units, gendarme and police units will be done by a special board as soon as possible in the same manner and using similar criteria for civil servants. All officers and fighters of the aforementioned units that fall under the provisions of the amnesty law, which entered the ranks of ELAS, ELAN or EP during the occupation, will return to their posts and will undergo assessment by the purging board the same as their colleagues. All officers and fighters mentioned, from the formations until the signing of this Agreement, will be placed on standby and their final position will be determined by the board which will be formed by the future government resulting from the elections.

Article 9

Plebiscites and elections

In full freedom and purity, a plebiscite will be held as soon as possible, certainly in the course of this year, which would finally put an end to the problems for the regime, subjecting all of the decision of the people. Soon after that, elections for the Constituent Assembly will follow in order to draft a Constitution for this country. Both delegations agree in terms of the purity of the decisions of the people’s will to call the major allied powers to send observers.

This agreement was duplicated with two identical copies. One was given to the government delegation and the other to the EAM delegation.

Athens Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 12. II. 1945.

Government delegates:

1. I. Sofianopoulos 2. P. Ralis 3. I. Makropoulos

EAM delegates:

1. D. Siantos 2. D. Partsalidis 3. I. Tsirimokos”

(Source: “History of the Civil War years 1945-1949” (Second guerilla movement), Volume II by Fivos Neok. Grigoriadis.)