FIRST UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION FOR THE REPATRIATION OF THE G

FIRST UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION FOR THE REPATRIATION OF THE GREEK CHILDREN

The third session of the United Nations General Assembly was held in Paris on November 27, 1948, which unanimously adopted the following resolution:

“General Assembly 193 / III

RECOMMENDS that the Greek children be returned to Greece, who are now far away from their homes, if the children express a willingness they can be returned to their father or mother or, in the absence of parents, to their closest relative;

IT CALLS UPON all United Nations States and other countries, on whose territory there are children, to take necessary measures in connection with the execution of these recommendations;

The Secretary General is tasked with making arrangements with the International Red Cross Committee, the Red Cross League as well as the Crescent Moon to organize and execute this order by organizing the various national Red Cross organizations in the countries of interest. They are to empower the National Red Cross organization to take necessary measures in these countries and to carry out this recommendation.”

(League Monthly Report for December 1948, p. 3)

ANOUNCEMENT FROM THE LEAGUE AND FROM THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE

In December 1948 the Red Cross League and the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva issued the following statement:

“The United Nations Secretary General has asked his first counselor Colonel A. D. Katsin to confer with the Red Cross League and with the International Red Cross Committee regarding the implementation of this resolution.

On December 17, 1948 Colonel Katsin met with representatives of the League and the Committee. During the discussions it was decided that the United Nations Secretary General will:

- Pay attention to a certain UN General Assembly governmental Resolution and seek the cooperation of the International Committee and the League for the repatriation of Greek children;

- Officially request from the League and the Committee to make contact with the interested governments and Red Cross societies in order to develop plans for the repatriation of the children.

The League expects responses to the letters the UN sent to governments as an official request from the UN, League and

Committee to bring them in contact with the National Red Cross organizations in the interested countries.”

(Rapport mensuel du Secretariat de la Ligue des societes de la croix rouge - 24.XII.1948)

THE LEAGUE SEEKS ASSISTANCE FOR THE GREEK CHILDREN

On June 9, 1948 the Red Cross League in Geneva sent the Yugoslav Red Cross the following telegram:

“To the Yugoslav Red Cross in Belgrade,

On the initiative of Bernadotte, President of the Swedish Red Cross, and in accordance with the President of the Council of Governors of the League we were wondering whether you would allow the League to make an appeal in favour of the Greek children who are away from their families in Greece and are now in other countries. In regards to your major commitments to these children by your own people, we think that you will appreciate this proposal if a number of children are located in Yugoslavia.

Please let us know what is needed for the Greek children in Yugoslavia according to their number, age and gender. The Yugoslav Red Cross will be asked to provide assistance with this. The national Red Cross in each of these countries will be involved in cooperation with the League.

Please reply to us as soon as possible. The same proposal was sent to the Organizations in the following countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Romania and Czechoslovakia.”

De Ruzhe, Secretary General of the Red Cross League organization number 268.

On 23 June 23, 1948 the Yugoslav Red Cross replied to the League with the following telegram:

“To the Red Cross League in Geneva,

We gladly accept your appeal in favour of Greek children. They required clothing and footwear.”

The Yugoslav Red Cross number 5939.

In regards to the Greek children’s appeal in Yugoslavia, on July 9, 1948, the Yugoslav Red Cross informed the Red Cross League and the International Red Cross Committee of the following requirements:

Needed are:

- 1,300 sets of clothing for boys ages 3 to 6 and 1,000 sets of clothing for girls of the same age;

- 1,500 sets of clothing for boys ages 7 to 12 and 2,500 sets of clothing for girls of the same age;

- 300 sets of clothing for boys ages 13 to 16 and 400 sets of clothing for girls of the same age;

The number of refugee children present in Yugoslavia under the care of the Yugoslav Red Cross, at the time, was around 10,000.

INACCURATE NEWS FROM RADIO ATHENS

On October 3, 1949 Radio Athens broadcast a statement made by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that the Yugoslav Red Cross had informed the International Red Cross that Yugoslavia was going to return the Greek children found in Yugoslavia to the Greek government.

The “Tanjug” agency immediately reacted and denied all allegations. It said that the Yugoslav Red Cross never made such a statement. It never said that the Greek children would it be returned to the Greek government. It said that it would return the children to their parents under the condition that the parents, first, request them to be returned and, second, that the parents provide reliable

documents of their relationship to the children. Each case would be decided on an individual basis.

Given the October 3, 1949 incident, i.e. the erroneous news coming out of Radio Athens, the Yugoslav Red Cross sent a letter to the League and to the Committee expressing its surprise. What was announced on the radio was not what had been said in the August 30, 1949 letter that the Yugoslav Red Cross had sent to the League.

On October 13, 1949 Dr. Olga Milosevich, Secretary General of the Yugoslav Red Cross in Geneva, held talks with representatives of the Red Cross League and the International Red Cross Committee regarding the issues of repatriating the Greek children. On this occasion Dr. Milosevich also clarified the Yugoslav position on how the children would be repatriated with their parents.