Mr. Erskine to the Marquess Curzon of Kedleston.— (Received December3.)

(No. 247.)

My Lord, Sofia, November28, 1923.

I HAVE the honour to report that the negotiations of the Serbo-Bulgarian Mixed Commission were brought to a successful conclusion on the 20th instant.

I asked my Serbian colleague today if he could give me any details as to their result. M. Rakitch confirmed the information already reported in my despatch No. 235 of the 15th instant, that his Government had accepted the offer of 300 million leva in payment of the requisitions, half of which sum is to be paid in money and half in coal, corn and maize. The payments in money and coal are to be spread over a period of three years, and those in corn and maize are to be completed within one year. The question of compensation to Serbian landowners in Bulgaria who have been dispossessed of their property under the law for the sub-division of large estates is to be settled by the payment to them of 50 per cent, of the present value of the properties. M. Rakitch explained that this arrangement does not involve so great a concession to Bulgaria as might be thought, as the present-day values are considerably higher than two years ago, when the properties were confiscated. On the other hand, a very considerable concession has been made in regard to the amount accepted in settlement of requisitions, the value of which, according to M. Rakitch fat exceeded 300 million leva.

A judicial convention, a convention for the grant of medical assistance to the indigent subjects of each country residing in the territory of the other, and an extradition treaty on the usual lines were also concluded.

I understand, though M. Rakitch was not very explicit on the subject and did not make it clear whether a separate agreement had been concluded to this effect, that the Serbian Government have consented to release from sequestration the properties of Bulgarian subjects situated in all parts of the Serb-Croat-Slovene State other than Macedonia and the territory ceded by Bulgaria in the neighbourhood of Tzaribrod.

In the course of the “negotiations the Bulgarian Government endeavoured to obtain the consent of the Serb-Croat-Slovene Government to the return of the Macedonian refugees now in Bulgaria and their acquisition of Serbian nationality.