STRENGTHEN USSR-CANADA TIES | Soviet foreign | | | | By BERT WHYTE MOSCOW The Soviet Union served notice on the world this week that it considers the question Of the German frontier has been settled finally, including the border between the Ger- Man Democratic Republic and German Federal Repub- lic. Soviet foreign. minister Andre Gromyko, delivering a report on the international | Situation at a session of the | Supreme Soviet (Soviet Par- liament) on June 27, dealt at Some length with Bonn’s de- mand for a return to the or- ders of the 1937 German Reich. “Is it not clear,” Gromyko Said, “that only those who wish to turn their country Into lifeless space can today gamble thoughtlessly with the nazi lebensraum slogan.” Referring to the war in Vietnam, he stressed that the assistance given to the Demo- . fatic Republic of Vietnam by the U.S.S.R. and other social- Ist states is continuous and extensive. The isolation of the Urtited States is growing in the in- ternational arena and its in- fluence is declining. Washing- ton should avail itself of the Opportunities offered by the Paris talks to stop its aggres- ‘$10n against Vietnam and achieve a political settlement. _ Gromyko noted that tension in the Middle East was not €asing and said the Soviet 80vernment, bearing in mind the necessity of respecting the sovereignty and territori- al integrity of each state in that region, Arab or Israel, Was “ready to facilitate im- plementation of the plan for regulating the situation sug- gested by the United Arab Republic.” Announcing the July 4 visit of President Nasser, the Sovi- et Foreign Minister said that “We are convinced that the Moscow talks will be fruitful a and will promote a further | | Tapprochement between our countries and the safeguarc- ing of peace in the Middle East.” Dealing with Soviet relze- tions with several countries. Gromyko reiterated his coun- _try’s policy of support for National liberation movements and development and consoli- dation of relations with young policy statement tioned positive progress in recent years in Soviet-French relations and a certain im- provement in relations with Italy. Relations with Britain leave much to be. desired; their development would pro- ceed at a faster pace if British foreign policy ‘overcame the lopsidedness of its orienta- tion” in several major inter- national questions. Possibili- ties are beginning to appear for the development and in- tensification of relations with such a big and industrially developed country of North America as Canada,” he said. There has been a further strengthening of relations with Finland and Afghanistan. Each year there is closer co- operation with such major states as India, Pakistan and Burma. Relations with Aus- tria, Sweden and Switzerland are favorable: ‘We hold that the policy of neutrality, con- ducted by these countries, is a substantial factor contrib- uting to peace in Europe.” Gromyko termed the social- ist states “an inseparable whole” and derided as short- sighted the calculations of those “who would like to wrest at least one link out of the socialist community.” He said the U.S.S.R. was doing its utmost so that state relations with China should not deteriorate.. Specific pro- posals had been made to Pe- king this year on trade, the joint use of frontier rivers for shipping and other matters. But the Mao Tse-tung group turns a deaf ear and deliber- ately seeks further aggrava- tion. The volume of Soviet- Chinese trade has declined 95 percent since 1959 and cultural relations have actu- ally been severed. On the vital issue of disar- mament Gromyko said con- clusion of the non-prolifera- tion treaty was one of the biggest steps ever taken to curb the nuclear arms race. “The Soviet Union urges the Western nuclear powers to sit down at a conference table, in a narrow or broad composition, with the parti- -ipation of other states, and to consider seriously the question of an international convention prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons. Our country is willing to affix its signature to such an inter- national document immedi- national states. He also men- ately.” PROF. JAMES STEELE Canada DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS Mexico JULIAN BOND United States PABLO NERUDA Chile Hemispheric meeting to An expected 2,000 delegates will gather in Montreal on Oc- tober 12-13-14 to take part in the Hemispheric Conference to End the Vietnam War. The dele- gates, from. Chile, Colombia, Mexico and other Latin Ameri- can countries as well as people from all parts of Canada and the ‘United States will represent a variety of peace, trade union and student groupings. Included also will be leading figures from the academic, -cultural and poli- tical fields. The “Call” to the Conference describes the purpose of the gathering this way: “We, citizens of Montreal concerned about this immoral war, are taking the initiative to convene a conference, represen- tative of all those in the West- ern Hemisphere who are striving to end the war which the United States is waging against the people of Vietnam. The confer- ence will work: for peace on a basis which will establish the unqualified right of the ' Viet- namese people to determine their own destiny free from all foreign interference. “We act in the spirit of the countless calls for peace from governments, statesmen, reli- gious leaders, intellectuals, trade unionists, spokesmen of youth, from all parts of the world, in- cluding the eloquent appeals of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and his Holiness the Pope. ; “We believe a basis of mini- mum agreement is a clear de- mand upon the United States government to totally and un- conditionally stop the bombing of North Vietnam, and enter into immediate negotiations with the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam for the with- drawal of United States and other foreign troops so that the Vietnamese people may settle their national affairs in condi- tions of non-interference and in- - dependence. “The participants in the con- ference brought together to seek this objective will work out to- gether their plans of action for its realization. “We see the conference as a means of extending a wide cam- paign of public enlightenment through the Western Hemis- phere, bringing ~home to the widest sections of people the moral iniquity and racist char- acter of the war being waged by the United States; the many ways in which it is adversely affecting the living standards of the peoples of all countries, and the great truth that the Viet- namese people in fighting for their national freedom are de- fending the right of all oppres- sed peoples everywhere to be free. : “The conference we visualize !end Vietnam war slated would draw on the extensive ex- perience of the peoples of the Americas in developing pressure against the war, and in render- ing assistance to the people of Vietnam could arise out of the conference itself, after discus- Sion and debate, within the framework of the general aims and objectives of the confer- ence. “The conference provides an Opportunity to make a strong impact upon public opinion. It will give support to the growing Beace forces in the United States who are making an end to the war the central issue in their national election.” The Organization Committee im Montreal, which includes Such individuals as Claude Char- Ton, vice president of the Que- bec Union of Students, Gerard Rancourt, general secretary of the Quebec Federation of Labor, Edward Sloan, executive mem- ber: of the Quebec Medical Aid to Vietnam committee, Pierre VWadborncoeur of the Confedera- tion of National Trade Unions, Francois Aquin, MPP and nu- Merous others, has announced that plans are well underway for the Conference. Projects have begun for an art exhibit to be held during the Conference which will be held at the Externat Classique de Lon- Sueil in Montreal. On July 27, leading personalities from Can- a@a and the U.S.A. will meet in Montreal to further elaborate an a@enda and conference plans. A Press conference will take place at that time. In the United States, the U.S. Co-ordinating Committee for the Hemespheric Conference has is- SUed an initial list of sponsors Which include such names as Julian Bond, member of the Georgia State Assembly, Mrs. Dagmar Wilson, national chair- man, Women Strike for Peace, Semator Coleman Young, Michi- 8am State Legislature, Ossie Davis, actor and playwright, Howard Da Silva, actor, Dr. Herbert Aptheker, historian and Many others. The Latin American initial list of sponsors includes Pablo Ne- rua, Chilean poet, David Alfero Sinqueiros, Mexican artist, Dr. Lopez, Columbian member of Parliament as well as 43 depu- ties and 14 Senators from a total of 154 leading Chilean per- SOnalities. Conference sponsors from English Canada include - Rabbi Feinberg, Mac Makarchuck, NDP MLA, Ontario legislature, Harry Rankin, Vancouver Alder- may, Fairley Mowat, author, June Callwood, broadcaster, Prof. Leslie Dewart, University of ‘Toronto, Brian Switzman, On- tartgo Union of Students presi- dent, and many other prominent Personalities.