Soviet aid welcomed AFGHANISTAN In an official statement, January 16, the Communist Party of Canada made clear its support for the Karmal government of Af- ghanistan and its attitude to recent events in the country. In the statement, published in full below, the CPC urges Canadian recogni- tion of the new government, and an end to campaign of calumny against the Soviet Union. The Communist Party of Canada is in full solidarity with the Afghanistan People’s Democ- ratic Party and the people of the Democratic Republic of Af- ghanistan in their determined ef- forts to defend the gains of the April 1978 revolution whose goal was the elimination of feudalism, national independence and social progress as the pathway to social- ism in Afghanistan. True to its internationalist posi- tion the Soviet Union came to the timely assistance of the DRA when it was threatened by the reactionary forces in Afghanistan aided by U.S. imperialism, Chi- na, Pakistan and Egypt. This aid was made available based on re- quests from the Afghanistan Government rising from the Afghan-Soviet Treaty of ‘De- cember 5, 1978 and the UN Char- ter. The result of this timely aid has been the crushing of the counter-revolution in Afghanis- tan. U.S. imperialist strategy was nipped in the bud. Its aim of using Afghan territory as a base for war preparations and for nuclear mis- siles directed against the Soviet Union was defeated. Afghanistan now is a base for peace, not for war in that region of the world. The Communist Party of Canada welcomes the decision taken by the Soviet Union to come to the aid of the DRA. This was not an act of aggression but rather an act of solidarity which will strengthen peace and security in that part of the world. Why have U.S. imperialism and its allies in NATO made such a noise about this assistance? It has to do with their overall strategy of stopping the revolu- tionary processes under way in the world while fastening their control over the natural re- sources, above all, oil, in these countries. In its efforts to achieve . this objective U.S. imperialism is reverting to gunboat diplomacy and world policeman. It has undertaken a world-wide offensive in all continents. It has concentrated a massive display of naval force in the Persian Gulf “ with the implied intention of using force to secure the oil wells of the Middle East. It has set up a con- tingency force of 110,000 troops to be used wherever the U.S. ‘national interests’ dictate. It has accelerated the arms race, forced its NATO allies in western Europe to set up strike-first nuc- lear missiles aimed against the Soviet Union and the socialist countries, and made use of the ‘Chinese card’’ against détente, the national and social liberation movements. Not least it has de- ferred the signing of the SALT II Treaty. This spells a sharp turn in U.S. foreign policy away from détente to one of confrontation, cold war and the threat of nuclear war. A massive campaign has been unleashed to condition people to see the Soviet Union as an enemy, that war with the Soviet Union is inevitable and that inter- vention to stem the advance of socialism is justifiable. While brainwashing the people about non-existent aggression by - the Soviet Union, imperialism passes over in silence the real ag- gression perpetrated by China in Vietnam, the invasion of Uganda by Tanzania, the invasion by France in Afnca, the continued occupation of African territories. It passes over in silence the ugly aims of U.S. imperialism in Viet- nam, in Chile and its complicity in the crimes of the Shah in Iran. Under cover of the hypocritical campaign against the Soviet Union, U.S. imperialism is seek- ing to establish military bases in Africa, the Indian Ocean and in the Middle East and is accelerat- ing the arms race. Instead of warning the U.S. administration against such policies, Clark, Trudeau and Broadbent have all joined hands with President Carter in under- taking economic and other forms of pressure on the Soviet Union. Contrary to the real national in- terest of Canada, and the course of peace and security they have backed U.S. imperialism at the expense of jobs and markets. These cold warriors have sucked Canada into a position which will _10C won’t move Olympics Despite repeated statements by International Olympic Commit- tee president Lord Killanin that the Summer Games will go ahead on schedule in Moscow, efforts are still under way both in Canada and the U.S. to scuttle them. Killanin has emphasized the Games will not be moved. ‘“We won't back down on our word,”’ he told the press last week. The IOC will meet just prior to the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York, and may face pres- sures from some Western states to move or postpone the Summer Games. — The United States has taken the lead with Canada not far be- hind to use this international sporting event as a cold war lever. President Carter and Secretary of State Vance have threatened to pull the U.S. out of the Games unless the USSR withdraws its troops from Afghanistan. Vance says the U.S. has set a deadline of mid-February but added he didn’t believe the USSR would respond. Canada’s election campaign has seen ridiculous statements by Clark, Trudeau and Broadbent calling for moving the site from Moscow. Clark and External Af- fairs Minister MacDonald have been stumping the country telling audiences they have offered Montreal as an alternate site. The offer, however, ignores the fact that Montreal could not possibly be put in readiness and that the IOC hasn't expressed the slight- est interest in an alternate site. The Canadian Olympic As- sociation said it will not respond to a government boycott of the Moscow. Games unless athletes were in physical danger. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 25, 1980—Page 4 do great harm to Canada. Instead of saying ‘‘me too’ to US. imperialism Canada must assert its independence in foreign affairs and pursue a policy which strengthens peace andthe sec- urity of Canada. There is no ra- tional alternative to détente and disarmament. — The working people of Canada, the great trade union movement, the NDP, all peace-loving Cana- dians must not allow themselves to be taken in by the massive media barrage emanating from the USA and from its stooges in Canada. The Afghan people must be al- lowed to determine their own de- stiny based on the April demo- cratic revolution. All economic and other sanctions against the Soviet Union must be brought to an end. In its place there is 0 for a further extension of trade scientific and cultural relations with the Soviet Union and othet socialist countries, and recogni | tion of the Karmal government OF — Afghanistan. In today’s world there is no 1 Z tional alternative to détente am disarmament. 4 released from Puli-Charhi prison in Kabul. Buy this lady a Globe & Mail sub As difficult as it would be to select Flora MacDonald’s most stupid comment from - among a torrent of stupidities, here’s one that might be hard to beat: . ‘Soviet Public Opinion MacDonald’s Target’ says the headline over a story in the To- ronto Globe & Mail, Jan. 15. Here she says that moving the 1980 Olympics out of Moscow would inform the Soviet public about events in Afghanistan. “The people in the USSR don’t know about the invasion of Afghanistan — the press there doesn’t carry news about MacDonald — uncomforting. ~ it,’’ our External Affairs Minis- ter told reporters. One day earlier the Globe & Mail's lead story, across seven of its nine columns, told about a lengthy interview Soviet leader Brezhnev gave to the press (See abridged statement page 7.) The Globe story says: ‘‘He (Brezhnev) answered questions in an interview ——— INTERNATIONAL FOCUS Some of the more than 2,000 political prisoners jailed under the regime of Hafizullah Amin are shown being es printed on the front page of the party newspaper, Pravda, and broadcast several times on Soviet radio and television ... Further: “‘The Soviet president’s interview, taking up most of Pravda’s front page, contained a lengthy defence of the Kremlin’s decision to send tens of thousands of its troops into neighboring Afghanistan It’s hardly possible in print to say MacDonald is lying: Someone might suggest she is fibbing. Or ignorant. Or misin- formed. Or malicious. Or in- competent. Whatever term you may choose, or whatever else MacDonald might be good at, having her careening around as External Affairs Minister isn’t too comforting. How would you like to be Canada’s ambassador to Mos- cow these days and face all those knowing smiles each time the boss opens her mouth? Impressive achievements by Grenadian revolution When the new Revolu- tionary government took power in Grenada on March 13, 1979 it inherited a debt of $60-million amassed by the former corrupt Gairy regime. “When the people’s representa- tives looked at the country’s treasury, it contained $45.78! In almost 11 months since then, the list of achievements attests to people’s power. Here are some of them: -e@ The first government- owned commercial bank is opened offering higher interest rates on savings and lower rates on loans than all other banks; e the country’s minimum wage is increased, rice and sugar prices cut, government salaries cut; e Free milk is provided all children under age five and to all primary school children. Low-cost hot meals are also provided to primary school kids; -e Trade union membership jumped to 80% of workers from 30%; anti-labor laws are abolished; : e The crime rate has drop- ped by 75%; e 800 new jobs were created — a figure exceeding those created over the past 10 years; New community centres, roads, industries are seen as well as important steps in edu- cation and medical treatment. The revolutionary gains show again what is possible when peoples’ energies and talents are used for the common good. A lecture on morals from a prince Prince Phillip warns us about the population explosion and says future generations will pay the price in poverty, disease and starvation. The pr- ince, we discover in his inter- view -with Science Digest magazine, is concerned about such things. It makes you wonder what. world Phillip lives in. Today most people go to bed hungry, are poor, and diseases directly attributed to poverty are ram- pant. Phillip’s solution is not to strive for a new world economic order. It’s not to harness science and technol- ogy to feed, house, educate the world’s people. The problem, Phillip tells us — is people, too many of them. Too many, perhaps, of those grasping, selfish types that form the monarchies with their billions stuffed away. One wonders how many could be helped if Phillip’s wife were to distribute her fortune. Or even what might be achieved if she and he and their large, well-fed family were to indulge in crea- tive labor.