UPDATE: in December 2013 Free Trieste sent the first 16,000 signatures to the United Nations.
Free Trieste: we shall ask the UN to appoint our Governor!
After the signature of the 1947 Treaty of Peace and the beginning of the Cold War, the Victorious Powers’ crossed vetoes prevented the quick appointment of Trieste’s Governor. Indeed, since 1947 Trieste is the capital city of a the Free Territory of Trieste.
The Free State’s Governor is the officer in charge of the second phase of Trieste’s provisional regime of Government.
The UN Security Council has 5 permanent members (United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Russia – since 1991, as successor of the Soviet Union, and the PRC – since 1971, in the place of the ROC/Taiwan), and they have the authority to exercise a veto.
During the Cold War, potential Governors supported by the Western democracies were vetoed by the Soviets, while candidates supported by the Soviet Bloc were vetoed by the West.
Things became even harder after the 1948 Tito-Stalin split, which in turn allowed the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Back then the Free Territory of Trieste and its international Free Port proved their great strategic value to Washington.
They were active in European reconstruction: Trieste is one of the 18 Marshall Plan States. At the same time, Moscow could not let Trieste follow Yugoslavia’s new political path.
During the Cold War era it was difficult getting over the vetos and the rampant Italian nationalistic propagandas.
Back then, Trieste’s people had little to no way to effectively claim their rights.
This is one of the reason why in 1954 the primary administering British and US Governments sub-entrusted Trieste’s temporary civil administration to the Italian Government.
The mandate includes specific obligations regarding the international Free Port of Trieste’s management. Yet, as we know, the local officers of the Italian Government “forgot” about it, including taking advantage of Yugoslavia’s dissolution crisis.
Question Trieste can’t remain frozen:
it’s time for Free Trieste to open a new petition!
On Tuesday, May 16th, 2013 in Largo della Barriera Vecchia, Free Trieste starts collecting signatures to request the appointment of the Free Territory of Trieste’s Governor.
The authority addressed in the petition is the UN Security Council.