Servia Will Seize Ports, Says Premier.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 18, 1912:
Dr. Pasitch, Defiant to Austria, Declares it is a Matter of Life and Death.
VIENNA'S PROPOSALS VAIN
Seaport on Aegean Sea Impossible — Railway Internationalization Not a Subject to Discuss Now.
Special Cable to The New York Times.
    LONDON, Monday, Nov. 18.— The Uskub correspondent of The Daily Telegraph has interviewed the Servian Premier, Dr. Pasitch, the most Influential statesman in the Balkan League. One of the first things Dr. Pasitch said was that Servia was most anxious to live on terms of amity with Austria-Hungary, but the wish for that must be subservient to the economic and territorial interest of the Servian Nation, which was determined to carry out in full the programme arranged with the other Balkan States, whatever happened.
    He said the Servian armies would push their way through Albania to the Adriatic sea and occupy ports. This was a matter of life and death to Servia, and there could not be any withdrawal.
    Austria had put forward, he said, two proposals — one that Servia should seek an outlet to the sea on the Aegean coast, and the other that she should have the free use of an Austrian port in Dalmatia. Both of these were impossible, declared Dr. Pasitch, as was Austria's other proposal that Albania should become an autonomous principality. He went on:
    "We can never accept that, nor at the present moment any suggestion for the establishment of a zollverein between Austria and the Balkan States. That may be a matter for the future, perhaps, but it is now out of the question.
    "Equally it is out of our power to agree, as Austria has suggested, to the internationalization of railways in what was European Turkey. The future of the railways must be a matter for consideration and arrangement between the States of the Balkan Confederation. Afterward we can discuss and no doubt come to terms with Austria on the subject of tolls on freights and matters of that kind, but internationalization is a matter we will not discuss."