 Complete the following phrase:  YBE hoped to halt Bulgarian encroachment in Macedonia by proving their loyalty to the German authorities and in turn gaining their support. YBE member and prefect of Pella Georgios Themelis, issued a declaration which stated that whoever fights the Germans is an enemy of Greece. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, as the Germans continued to tolerate if not encourage Bulgarian efforts. YBE then shifted its focus towards smuggling fighters into the Middle East, where they were to join the Free Greek Forces of the Greek government-in-exile. In September, the ELAS-led 