CANADA—— —

-

The‘developing mass movements and
the present stage of the fight for peace,
jobs and Canadian independence:

The Tribune publishes here excerpts
from the main report to the Central
Committee meeting of the Communist
Party of Canada, in Toronto, Nov. 30-
Dec. 2. The report was delivered by
party general secretary William
Kashtan.

mapa, Se,

The Fight For Peace —
An Ever More Urgent Task

This is a particularly important meet-
ing of the Central Committee coming as
it does after a number of significant
developments. The Summit meeting
between General Secretary Gorbachev
and President Reagan is over, the
Canadian Peace Alliance has been
founded, the Pentagon is pushing
Canada into Star Wars through
NORAD, provincial and municipal
elections have taken place in some
places, the fightback by labor and other
démocratic forces against the crisis
policies of monopoly and government
has grown.

Bearing in mind that the fight for
peace and against the threat of nuclear
war must be at the centre of our atten-
tion, how do we estimate the Summit
and its results?

The Reagan administration did not
‘want a summit.and did everything to
provoke the Soviet Union to call it off.
It accelerated its nuclear test program,
tested anti-satellite weapons against a
target in space, continued deployment
of Pershing If and Cruise missiles in
Europe. When the Soviet Union re-

Communist Central Committee meets

Rejecting Star Wars the key task ahead

fused to be provoked the U.S. admin-
istration played down what could be
achieved there and tried to divert the
summit from the central question of
arms control and no SDI (Strategic De-
fence Initiative). Indeed, it did not want
any statement to be adopted which
would in part, commit it to implement
measures that could advance the cause
of peace.

Despite these efforts the summit did
succeed in reducing the sharp tensions
that have characterized U.S. relations
toward the Soviet Union for a number
of years.

The U.S. administration was compel-
led to come to some concrete agree-
ments directed to improve USA-USSR
relations. These include the adoption of
acultural agreement; the establishment
by the U.S. of a consulate in Kiev and
by the USSR in New York; the renewal
of Aeroflot flights to the USA, and Pan
Am to the USSR; the decision to hold
two more summits, one in the USA in
1986, the other in the USSR in 1987.

Of major significance was that the
U.S. administration was compelled to
declare in the joint U.S.-USSR state-
ment adopted at the conclusion of the

summit, that ‘‘a nuclear war cannot be

won and must never be fought’’ and
that ‘‘neither side will seek to achieve
military superiority’. It reiterated the
intention to prevent an arms race in
space and end it on earth. The state-
ment also called on the USA-USSR
negotiators in Geneva to ‘accelerate
arms negotiations” including a 50 per
cent reduction in nuclear arms. It also
came out for banning chemical
weapons.

But the basic questions for which the

Several 40-year veterans of the Communist Party of Canada were awarded the Jubilee
Medal Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Victory Over German Fascism and
Japanese Militarism (in World War Il) on Nov. 30 in Toronto. The medal is awarded by
the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in recognition of their role — in the armed forces, on
the civilian front, and in political struggle —which contributed to victory. Above (I ro r,
back row) M. Doig, V. Bjarnason, W.C. Ross, M. Rush, A. Roberts, W. Gilbey, W.
Kashtan. Front row: B. Magnuson, J. Vautour, W. Sydney, S. Walsh. Other recipients,

summit was called were not solved.
The refusal by the Reagan administra-
tion to forego Star Wars reflects the
views of powerful forces in the USA
including in the administration itself, as
seen in the “‘leaked’’ letter of Wein-
berger published in New York Times
on the eve of the summit. These forces
do not want arms control. They want
U.S. military superiority and a first
strike capability over the Soviet Union.
The reactionary forces of U.S. im-
perialism and some of its NATO allies
believe they have superiority in tech-
nology and, having failed to achieve
military superiority on earth they can
now achieve it in outer space. These
forces consider too, that in an arms race
in space they can wear the Soviet Union
and the socialist countries down and
exact concessions from them. Not least
they see militarization of the economies
of the capitalist countries as a way of
putting a new lease of life in the
capitalist system.

Before, during and after the summit,
the position of the Soviet Union was
constant. The Soviet Union took as a
starting point that the main issue today
is not one of confrontation of the two
social systems but the choice of sur-
vival or mutual destruction. —

What the summit accomplished was
to break the ice in terms of relations
between the USA and USSR. The Joint
Statement can have a positive effect in
changing the political and psycholog-
ical climate. Better conditions have
been established to pursue the struggle
for peace, for disarmament based on
parity and equality of security. The fact
of two more summits means that the
dialogue will continue. These summits
can act as targets for advancing the
struggle for preventing the arms race in
outer space and ending it on earth.

While noting these better conditions
we must also note that the U.S. con-
tinues to oppose reaching agreements
on preventing the arms race in space.

To conclude: While disagreements
on fundamental issues still continue the
Soviet Union has stated that its pro-
posals stand regarding major cuts in nu-
clear weapons, a ban on strike space
weapons, and proposals for a separate
agreement on medium range missiles in
Europe.

Mulroney and Star Wars

The Mulroney government must be
compelled to make its contribution to
improving the international situation. It
must come out against Star Wars and

SN

The results of the summit call for an
intensification of the struggle for peace
and for an independent foreign policy
for Canada.

While. public pressure and our par-
ty’s initiatives against Star Wars played
a role in compelling the Mulroney
government to oppose government to
government support for SDI, the fed-
eral government made clear at the same
time that it supports the U.S. SDI pro-
gram. In line with this, it called upon
companies and research institutes in
Canada to participate in the SDI pro-
gram financed, as Mr. Clark stated, by
the government.

It has since gone further and through
the Strategic Defence Architecture
2000 (SDA) Canada is to be directly
integrated into SDI (Star Wars) through
NORAD.

The Government has been compelled
to admit there is indeed discussion tak-
ing place on changes in the structure of
NORAD. SDA 2000 (Strategic Defence
Architecture Plan — 2000) comes- in
two phases.

The first phase is already being
implemented — improvements in satel-
lite surveillance and control of nuclear
forces. This is centred on the moder-
nization of the Distant Early Warning
System in the far north. This North
Warning System will be fully integrated
into the U.S. Command and Control
Network of its nuclear forces.

The second phase will be the instal-
lation of weapons to shoot down mis-
siles and planes that the North Warning
System detects.

Through SDA 2000 Canada will play
a key role in SDI. U.S. space-based
weapons will not be capable of detect-
ing and destroying cruise missiles and
manned bombers flying across the Arc-
tic and over Canada’s north. That will
be the task of SDA 2000.

Thus, while saying the government
will not participate in SDI per se, it will
in fact do so through SDA 2000.

Before next March the formal deci-
sion to stay in or get out of NORAD will
be made by the government and
parliament. The Canadian people can-
not afford to leave it to these bodies to
make the decision.

The speed and secrecy with which
“*hearings’” are being held on the ques-
tion of NORAD suggests that the
government wants to renew NORAD
without really consulting the people of
Canada. This is all the more reason why
the Canadian people must act before it is
too late to influence the decision. It is to
be hoped that the peace movements,
the trade union movement, the farm
movements, the women’s and youth
movements, veterans and other forces,
Liberals and New Democrats, in and
out of parliament will make their voices
heard loud and clear and call for Cana-
da’s withdrawal from NORAD.

There is a direct link between the
battle against Star Wars and withdrawal
of Canada from NORAD. To oppose
Canada’s involvement in Star Wars is
to a certain extent, to stand in fact for
the non-renewal of Canada’s member-
ship in NORAD. Similarly, opposing
Canada’s renewal of membership in
NORAD is to oppose Canada’s
involvement in Star Wars through so-
called research contracts and SDA

not in photo were: W. Tickson, W. Stewart, W. Kardash, O. Kogan, B. McClure, R.
Stevenson, N. Hrynchyshyn and M. Prokop. :

Canada’s involvement in Star Wars
through NORAD.

2000. We need to strengthen that lin-
kage in the few months remaining.

| PACIFIC TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 18, 1985 e 13