Last week Waldeck Rochet for
the Communist Party of France
and Francois Mitterrand for the
Federation of the Democratic
and Socialist Left announced
that the two organizations’ had
agreed on a joint platform.

A. committee had been work-
ing for the last eight months on
this document in which there is
agreement on the need to. instil
new life into the parliament of
France and to curb the personal
power of President DeGaulle.

The document not only sets
forth -the: points of agreement
but also some questions of dis-

- agreement including the views
on nationalization, the common
market and the North Atlantic
. Treaty Organization. The Com-
munists call for French with-
drawal from NATO while the
Federation warns of “unilateral
rupture of existing alliances.”
The Federation is strongly in
favor of the common market
while the Communist position
remains in opposition to it.

Both parties urge the abolition
of France’s nuclear striking
force and both agree on the need
for an immediate and uncondi-
tional cessation by the U.S. of
the bombing of Vietnam, a re-
turn to the Geneva accords and
recognition by France of the
Democratic Republic of. North
Vietnam. The parties however
differ in relation to South Viet-
nam in that the Communists

regard the National Liberation .

Front as the sole authentic re-
presentative of the people of
South® Vietnam. The Federation,
while recognizing the necessity

Common platform
issued in France

of including the NLF in discus-
sions, does not regard them as
the sole representative.

The two parties also agree in
this document to continue dis-
cussions of each others point of
view in order to “explore the
possibilities of new agreements.”

Speaking on the occasion of
the issuance of this common
platform, Waldeck Rochet ex-
pressed on behalf of his party
their satisfaction with this new
step of unity of the forces of
the left.

“Certainly,” he added, “the
common minimum. platform of
action which has just been adopt-
ed does not yet constitute a
common program for govern-
ment for if the points of con-
vergence existing between the
two parties have become more
numerous, there also exist diver-
gencies, particularly concerning
the extent needed for nationali-
zation and in foreign policy.

“Evidently on the basis of

. principles, each formation has

preserved their fundamental
position.

“And further, in the political
front, there is need to confirm
that if we are for a solid en-
tente between all the parties of
the left, we remain resolutely
hostile to any alliance with the
right camouflaged under the
name of the centre.

“Having said that, we think
that the new agreement will be
able to contribute to unity and
action of the working class and
democratic forces with a view
to ending the regime of personal
power and to prepare for a fu-

ture with a truly democratic
system.

“In greeting this new step for-.
ward which we are in process”
of achieving, we are conscious
that the fiZht for unity is a long
struggle which demands at the
same time patience, perseverity
and firmness.

“That is to say that the ef-
forts which must be pursued is

to surmount the obstacles which .

prevent the indestructable union
of the working class and demo-
cratic forces on the basis of a
common: program of progress
and peace.

“The Communist Party of
France, while continuing to fight
for its own objectives and its
own program, will spare no ef-
forts in contributing to unity in
the fight for social progress, for
democracy and for peace.’

Commenting on this common
platform the New York Times
for Feb. 25 had this to say:

“The first step came in 1965,
when the Communists backed
Mr. Mitterrand for the presi-
dency.

“The second was an electoral
alliance with the Federation of
the Left in the general elections
of last March. The alliance was
scrupulously respected by both

sides, as many non-Communist .

voters elected Communist can-

’ didates and vice versa. It thus

became the foundation for the
present platform.

“The electoral alliance was
continued and proved effective
again in municipal election in
September, in which the Com-
munists made large gains,

JL ULLAL AA ae

Policy crisis
grows in RIN

The . Rassemblement pour
L’Indépendance Nationale (RIN),
larger of the two “independan-
tiste” or separatist parties in
Québec, has been in grave crisis
invovling policy and program
since its 1966 Congress.

With the appearance last fall
of the Mouvement Souveraineté-
Association, created and lead by
René Levesque, minister in the
former Québec Liberal govern-
ment, this crisis has now split
wide-open the Central Council
of the RIN. The split has oc-

Yanks reject U Thant’s peace call

Both the president of the pup-
pet regime in South Vietnam,

secretary of State William P.

Bundy have rejected the call by -

United Nations, Secretary-Gene-

Nguyen Van Thieu and Under-

|

fecicl and religious ¢ reasons.

stone the nti-apa ateld ond progr
the world wil see throug

the South ‘Afican. Republic to

ic Games, a country where th
Slympic movement are violated,
has become known that by a majo rig vote the [OC
itted the National Olympic Committee of South Africa
send its sportsmen to the 19th games in Mexico. Th:
decision, as stressed in the U.S.S.R. Olympic Committee's
statement, is a gross violation of the Olympic Charter,
thidding the. discrimination of ees | i pele),

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ral U Thant for a halt in the
bombing to get negotiations
started to.end the war.

Bundy said. that U Thant’s

' proposal failed to meet the for-

mula of President Johnson for
prompt, productive talks. “We
just can’t take this one on faith
—pure and simple,” he said.

U Thant had made his state-
ment following a trip to New
Mescow, London and
Paris and a meeting with the
U.S. president in Washington.

In part his statement read as

follows:

“My talks in various capitals
have reinforced my conviction,
which I have repeatedly express-
ed in my public statements on
the issue of Vietnam for the past
three years, namely, that the
question is essentially a politi-
cal problem which cannot be
solved through the application of
military force..

“In the light of my talks, I
reaffirm all that I have said in

‘the past concenring my assess-

ment of the Vietnam problem
and my approach to it. If the
Vietnam question is seen as a
contest of unyielding will, there
can be no solution...

“On the other hand, my re-
cent contacts have confirmed my
view that, if essential steps are
taken, they will lead to a chain
of events which, in the end, can
bring about a just solution to the
problem, and which will save
both South Vietnam and North
Vietnam from devastation and

Qi INGiGVIG Wikia est

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virtual destruction and will offer
a chance for the people of Viet-
nam to regain a sense of natio-
nal identity and to reconstruct
their war-torn country.

“In my view, the indispen-
sable first step of ending all
bombing and other acts of .war
against the Democratic Republic
of Vietnam should be taken and
could be taken without too great
a military risk. If such a step
were to be taken, I am .more
than ever convinced that mean-
ingful talks will take place much
earlier than is generally suppos-
ed, even perhaps within a matter
of a few days .

“Inasmuch as the United Na-
tions remains humanity’s main
hope for peace it is my duty,
regardless of all criticisms, to
try to reflect the consensus of
international public opinion. and
the deep concern which has ex-
pressed itself through the forum
of the General Assembly.

“Indeed, the world is anguish-
ed and sickened by the con-
tinued intensity and savagery of
the war. It is heart-rending to
witness the agony of the innno-
cent civilians who cannot pos-
sibly know what it is all about.
Also the military casualties
steadily mount. The ugliness of
the war is matched only by its
futility. There can be no victory,
no defeat, only more suffering,
more death and more destruc-
tion. The very survival of Viet-
nam is at stake. It is time to
call a halt.”

Waldeck Rochet and Francois Mitterrand at their press conferé

curred around the questiOly
What is to be the position |
the RIN in relation to the 2€
Movement for Sovereight)®
Association, which to date *
no program and is not cons,
tuted as a political party? —

The first round in the n0%
open battle. appears to i
been won by the group, larg*
based in Montreal and lead.
Mme. Andrée Ferretti, vice-P?
sident of the RIN. The Cent!
Council, meeting on Februay
17th in Montreal, adopted ©
proposals of her group: The i
to convene a special Congr:
on the 30th and 31st of n@
March< The second, (and this 7
undoubtedly be the subject ”
much public debate between ;
RIN and the MSA before
time) a decision neither to JOY
with nor to collaborate with 4%
MSA, as Mme. Ferretti state?
“until it first becomes a pal®
This is the first condition i
any collaboration with the
It must then define its A: 1

give up this idea of ‘sovereign
association’, a half-measure io s

RIN is not a party of Sail
bosses (bourgeois). Two-thit@
of our members in Montreal 4
workers.” }

Council met, the RIN presidet™
Pierre Bourgault, who-leads ™
minority group in that
scoffed at such a claim, say!
“As if the RIN represents
workers of Québec: What a jokey
(quelle farce!)”, adding in rK
same outburst of self-denunc4
tion, “I’ll be glad when peoP’s,
stop speaking of them, the work)
ers, because there are none s
our party.” ;

The position of RIN Preside®)"
Pierre Bourgault and his groub*
is that the RIN should at ond?
seek temporary  collaborati0!
with the MSA in the hope thids
can lead to permanent fusion % s
the two. This position, defeat@nc
in the recent Central Cound
meeting, as well as the wh0’ ¥
matter of the RIN’s lack of
program of its own to meet tht
democratic needs and demant;,
of the working people of Québé uy
will be thrashed out in their Sp!
cial congress in March.

inf