By DAVID JAMES

The African National Congress
of South Africa has strongly con-
demned Prime Minister Vorster’s
Easter visit to Israel.

It confirms the already close
Cooperation in the economic,
Political and armaments fields,
and says, ‘“‘we have no doubt this
will also include atomic coopera-
tion for the purpose of war against
Neighboring states and confronta-
tion with national liberation
Movements.’’

Meanwhile the South African
Press has been rejoicing in what
they see as the remarkable suc-
Css of the visit. ‘‘The formal tre-
aly On economic cooperation is
the Most far-reaching South Af-
Ma has ever concluded with
another country,’’ according to

| Radio South Africa.

Kept Secret
Ruling circles in South Africa
ad not, however, been too sure
What effect news of the impending
Visit might have, so it was initially
€pt secret, and when the news
faked there was apparently some
danger of the trip being called off.
( that time Israeli government
Officials were merely admitting
that the visit had ‘‘some official
Ngredients.””
he visit came soon after the
Presentation of the South African
udget which was remarkable for
Its 40% increase in arms spending
~this means South Africa’s arms
‘Pending has nearly doubled in
iN years. Special defence bonds
ae announced of help finance
© purchase of arms and equip-
Ment.
I Many observers saw the visit to
Stael as being essentially a shop-
Ping trip for weapons purchases.
© Angolan war deflated the
po stique built up over years con-
, ning the power of the South
Ncan army and revealed its
thaknesses to the army chiefs
emselves.
Arms Sales Insecure
thats Angola war also reyealed
sibl It is not now politically pos-
€ for capitalist powers to side

®Penly with South Africa against

a
nd South Africa together.

truggietoman voting in West Bank civic election
Magy. 2" the occupied West Ban

South Africa’s John Vorster,
former nazi sympathizer, was al-
lowed by Israeli hosts to place a
wreath at memorial site for Jews
murdered by nazis in WW Il.

Black Africa, and that arms sales
that are still being made to South
Africa through countries such as
France are, at least potentially,
insecure.

On Israel’s side the degree of
accord shown by the final agree-
ment between the two states
could have been influenced by the
recent upsurge of popular feeling
against their occupation of the
West Bank, which can only add to
Israel’s increasing isolation. -

Apparently, though, there were
some diffiferences in the Israeli
cabinet on how the visit should be
handled, with Foreign Minister
Yigal Allon and Minister of
Health Victor Shemtove wanting
to play it down and Prime Minis-
ter Yitzak Rabin insisting that
Vorster was a good friend. Allon
was more concerned with possi-
ble African reaction. -

After the 1973 Arab-Israeli war
Black Africa was almost univer-
sal in its decision to cut links with
Israel, putting that country in a
situation somewhat paralleling
South Africa’s.

s. National liberation
k, and in Southern Africa bring

connection

Both the countries are indust-
tial nations for whom Black Af-
rica could in a different political
climate be ideal for trade and in-
vestment,
* South Africa was uncertain ab-
out the visit, for another reason. It
relies on Iran for its oil supplies
and too close a liaison between
South Africa and Israel could
have muddied the waters.

Denials
In addition such an alliance

_ could weld the Arab countries

more firmly together in the anti-
South Africa stance they are
presenting in their relations with
Black Africa.

There were denials all round
that the visit was connected with
arms deals. There have been simi-
lar rumours in the past, always
denied: in September 1974 South
African interest was reported in
the Israeli Barak fighter plane and
the surface-to-surface Gabriel
missile. Now reports are centred
on the Kfir, Israel’s new, home-
produced and designed intercep-
tor jet.

Voster ‘‘privately’’ visited
the plant where it is produced.He
also visited the Golan Heights and
the border with Lebanon to see
Israeli border security.

In 1974 South. African invest-
ment in Israel moved from R7-
million to R20-million. Exports to
Israel were about R18-million and
imports about R15-million.

Now a ministerial committee
has been set up to improve
economic relations: South Africa
will supply rolling stock for a
railway from the Israeli port of
Eilat to Tel Aviv, help develop
Eilat and other ports, and supply
coal. Industrial links (mainly in
the chemicals field) are already
well established and a few years
ago the South African state-
owned iron and steel corporation
-ISCOR formed a joint company
with Israel’s Koor Industries —
Iskoor. Israel on the other hand is
likely to sell South Africa more
electronic and control equipment.

Nuclear Link-up

But the scientific laison is
strong, too, hence the ANC’s
statement concerning a possible
nuclear link-up.

South Africa is one of the
world’s largest producers of
uranium, and the Rossing mine in
Namibia, under South Africa’s il-
legal control, is the largest open
cast uranium mine in the world.

On the other hand there have
been recent revelations of Israel’s
nuclear capability, though its
lacks uranium. South Africa is
also believed to be well on the
way to nuclear capability but to
lag behind Israel in technique.

On April 26-28 a joint Israel-
South Africa scientific conference.
was held in Johannesburg and
agenda topics included nuclear
hysics and isotope chemistry.
This will be the beginning of more

extensive scientific contacts.

A closer economic and
strategic linkup in the uranium
dimension — especially when

South Africa begins to supply en-
riched uranium, likely in a few
years time — Is therefore in the

cards.
— Morning Star

~ Rabin policies lead
to national disaster

The following is an editorial
from Zo Haderekh, the Hebrew
language newspaper of the Com-
muaist Party of Israel. It was
dated March 31, 1976 and de-
scribes the events. surrounding
the general strike ‘‘Day. of the
Land”’ on March 30.

* * *

The general strike of the Arab
population in Israel against the
seizure of their lands, on the
‘Day of the Land’’, the 30th of
March 1976, has succeeded over
and above all expectations. -The
vast majority of the workers did
not go to work. The shops re-
mained closed. The pupils did-not
go to school, the resistance of the
Arab population in Israel to its
expulsion from the land found its
firm and wide mass expression.

This just struggle enjoyed the
solidarity of the Jewish democra-
tic forces. The success of the gen-
eral strike of the Arabs of Israel
stands out more, in view of the
attempt of the authorities to pre-
vent the strike at any cost. The
authorities put into action all
means at their disposal — intimi-
dation and enticement, falsifica-
tion of facts, attempts at creating
division. When all this was to no
avail, they started taking mea-
sures of brutal terror.

The authorities started acts of
vindictive provocations. Units of
the frontier guards, police and
army entered the Arab villages
and towns and_ began
groundlessly and indiscriminately
to attack the population with tear
gas, bombs and clubs. When the
inhabitants defended themselves
against these brutal attacks, fron-
tier guards and army personnel
opened fire, killing and wounding

many; imposed curfew and car-

ried out mass arrests.

The cruel encroachment of the
government on the just and legal
strike of the Arab population of
Israel aroused wrath and protest
among various circles of the
Jewish population. The democra-
tic circles expressed their full sol-
idarity with the Arab population
in its struggle against the exprop-
riations of their lands and against
the cruel terror.

The Communist group in the

Occupying Israeli soldier drags
away Galilee protester on “Day of
the Land”.

Knesset (Parliament) presented a
motion of no-confidence in the
government. In_ Tel-Aviv,
Jerusalem and other places,
Communists and other democra-
tic forces demonstrated against
the bloody attacks on the Arab
population in Israel.

The authorities’ acts of oppres-
sion against the Arab population
in Israel are nothing but a pogrom
in the full sense of the word. This
is part of the global nationalist and
aggressive policy of the govern-
ment. ,

The Rabin-Peres government
undermines by its chauvinist pol-
icy the foundations of democra-
cy, harms severely the relations
between the two peoples in our
country, sabotages the perspec-
tives of peace, injures gravely the
national interests of Israel.

We demand: Stop immediately
the terror against the Arab popu-
lation!

_The arrested persons must be
released!

The Rabin-Peres government
leads Israel to national disaster. It
is the duty ‘of all the forces of
peace democracy and friendship
among the peoples, to rally, now
more than ever, in ordér to stop
the adventurist running of the
Rabin-Peres government along a
path, leading to the abyss; in or-
der to bring about a change of the
Israeli policy in direction of
peace, equality of rights and
democracy.

Cuban Angola aid
was not ‘interference’

MOSCOW :— Calling for an
end to the anti-Cuban campaign
being waged by certain U.S. cir-
cles, the Soviet newspaper
Pravda May 14 answered the
charge that Soviet, Cuban and
other countries’ aid to embattled
Angola amounted to “‘interfer-
ence.”

The newspaper described the
aid rendered as ‘‘completely in
keeping with the spint and letter
of international law and with the
resolutions of the United Nations.

CIA officer
elected in Mexico City.

MEXICO CITY, Al Witrich,
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Officer, was elected president of
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
of this capital.

‘“‘This assistance,’’ writes
Pravda, ‘‘was rendered at the re-
quest of the legitimate govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of
Angola.”’

“The 29th Session of the UN
General Assembly adopted Re-
solution 3328 that contains an ur-
gent call for rendering moral and
material assistance to all peoples
that are under colonial and foreign
rule and are fighting for freedom.

*‘A resolution of the United
Nations Security Council March
31 condemned the aggression of
South Africa against Angola and
contained the demand for strict
respect for that country’s inde-
pendence and territorial intégrity.
With the assistance of the
socialist countries and many Afri-
can states, Angola has upheld its
integrity and territorial indepen-
dence,’’ Pravda writes.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 28, 1976—Page 7