-11- who has established most excellent relations with General Tito. As the House will have seen from the newspapers today, the Soviet government have decided also to send a military mission to the Partisan Commander-in-Chief. I want to make it quite plain where we stand in this. Mr. Molotov was good enough to discuss this project with me, both when I was in Moscow sad more recently in Teheran. He said, "You have a mission with them, and we think of sending a mission, too." We, of course, endorsed this proposal --- the Prime Minister and I Mr. Molotov and I agreed that our two missions shall work together in the closest collaboration when the Soviet mission reaches the country. That is the position. Now for another development since I left Teheran. As the House is aware, a supreme legislative committee and the executive national committee of liberation have recently been set up under the auspices of the Commander-in-Chief of the Partisan forces. So far as I am aware, this national committee does not claim authority outside the borders of the area in which it operates. It has certainly not claimed shy form of recognition from His Majesty's government. As I understand the position and as it has been reported to me by our officers, the Partisans emphasize the provisional nature of this administration, and they hold that it is for the Yugoslav people, as soon as their country is liberated, freely to choose the form of government they prefer. If that is the position, this, too, is the view of His Majesty's government. It is also, as I know, because he has told us so, the desire of King Peter himself and the policy of His government (Hon. Members: "Oh".) They have publicly declared it as their policy. We must be fair in all this. A public statement was made by the government that the moment the war was over they would lay doom their portfolios and the country would choose what government they preferr Mr. A Be %van (Ebbw Vale): Do the radio pronouncements of the Yugoslav government from Cairo confirm that statement? Mr. Eden: Certainly, Sir. I am not trying to say that the government agree on all points with the Partisans. Clearly that is not so. II am trying to make a fair approach to this very difficult question and what I am saying is that all including the government in Cairo, have declared that the moment their country is |