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SERBIAN CLAIMS
135
Grey, determined above all to maintain peace, was not
disposed to uphold to the end the just aspirations of
the Serbians—then he did not conceal from St.
Petersburg that henceforth all his efforts in Serbia’s favour
would be futile. On which there was nothing left to
us but to persuade the Serbians themselves that it was
necessary to yield in the cause of universal peace.
The position of the Russian Minister in Belgrade
became almost impossible. Whatever his personal
influence over the Serbians, and his intimacy with the
Court and the party in power may have been, it was a
very arduous task to make the Serbians give up the
long-wished-for outlet to the sea—after the sacrifices
they had made, and the victories they had gained!
In such an undertaking M. Pachitch’s authority, firmly
established though it was, the popularity of the new
dynasty, and Russian influence in Belgrade might well
be shipwrecked. Therefore it would be unfair to
blame M. Hartwig too much if, in order to get out of
such a terribly difficult situation, he promised the
Serbians to uphold, by all the means in his power, their
schemes for obtaining an outlet to Salonika and the
iEgean Sea. It was then that Serbia’s stern resolve
took shape, to keep for herself Southern Macedonia,
and to remain on that side in close proximity to Greece.
One must also admit that during the whole period of
military operations, the Bulgarian authorities by their
greed, their lack of any conciliatory spirit, and their
domineering attitude, had roused the indignation, not
only of the Greeks, but also of the Serbians. The
latter had every reason to hope that, once masters of
Monastir, and neighbours of Greece, they would easily
obtain free and direct transit to Salonika; on the other
hand, if it was a question of establishing this same
transit through Bulgarian territory, one might justly
fear perpetual difficulties and quibbles. Hence, a
community of interests and a natural solidarity bound the
Greeks and the Serbians with regard to Bulgaria.
Already, in the middle of January, that is to say
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