By TOM MORRIS International focus Consultation or . just instructions? In the flack that followed U.S. Defence Secretary Wein- berger’s comment that the U.S. would seek to build and deploy the neutron bomb in Eurdpe, Canada’s Defence Minister Gilles Lamontagne says he was assured Canada and other “‘‘allies’’. would be consulted beforehand. Before Lamontagne buys that bill of goods on our behalf (and Europe’s) he should study the foreign policy position paper of the new administra- tion in the White House. Titled ‘‘Strategic Gui- dance’’, the paper says: portant, the United States must be able to use force uni- laterally .. .’’ The thrust of the paper is an offensive, unilateral policy based on. what Washingtoa preceives to be in its own national interest. The policy paper argues that the administration would pre- fer cooperative allies but, fail- ing cooperation, would act on its own. Some European “‘allies”’ have publicly said they don’t want the new weapon on their soil; that it’s a dangerous step toward nuclear proliferation, that it threatens their security, not safeguards it. Why can’t Ottawa back its own position in opposition to the spread of nuclear weaponry as outlined by Trudeau at the UN? What the hell is ‘‘consultation’’ about? Are the Americans supposed to consult with the Canadians to plant the N-bomb on an- other continent? It would be refreshing (and sane) if our government simply told the Pentagon it will get no support from us in this insane venture. Praise the Lord! Pass the ammunition In president Reagan's tirade, generally passed off by the administration as a foreign ‘ policy address, one of the ‘‘sins’’ he ascribed to the USSR is that ‘‘they don’t-sub- scribe to our sense of morali- ty.”’ That’s quite a revelation. “They don’t believe in an afterlife; they don’t believe ina God or a religion. And the only morality they recognize, there- fore, is what will advance the cause of socialism,’ Reagan went on. It boggles the mind that, 64 HEY! Just A MINUTE THERES AREN'T YOU THE GUY “While U.S. allies are im- . junta there. Falwell’s Moral Majority years after the October Rev- olution, the USSR would be charged with the “‘crime”’ of advancing the cause of social- ism. Who has been keeping that a secret from United States’ intelligence organiza- tions? Reagan himself was six years old in 1917 and one would have thought that in the succeeding years he may have noticed that the world’s largest country had a socialist system — and that since 1945 millions more people chose to build a socialist society. “They don’t believe in an afterlife,’ Reagan charges. Good grief. Since when has be- lieving in heaven been the ériterion for international rela- tions? Many people don’t think there’s a life after death. Reagan should read Mark Twain’s ‘‘Letters from Earth.” “They don’t believe in a God or a religion,”” says the Great Man. In fact, some Soviet citizens do, some don’t. Some Hungarians do, some don’t. The same holds true for the other socialist states. — Some Americans do, some don’t. Perhaps even some Re- publicans don't. Surely, belief in a god isn’t going to be Washington's yardstick for negotiations, ex- changes, trade and other inter- national relations? If so, which god? Since Christians are a minority in the world’s religi- ous groupings, and millions more on this earth simply don’t believe in a god, that would make Washington a pretty lonely place. Perhaps Ronnie’s idol of Christian purity is Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell who sells his wares in this month’s Penthouse magazine. Praise the Lord! Criticized policies, U.S. ambassador fired Rounding out his first few days in office, Reagan fired Robert White, U.S. ambas- sador to El Salvador because he had the temerity to be criti- cal of Washington's growing love affair with the right-wing White told reporters that the new administration’s intention to increase support for the El Salvadorean regime would undermine his efforts to per- suade the junta to adopt re- forms. In diplomatic jargon, the Sate Department announced White was being ‘‘reassigned”’ not fired. With Haig in charge and that paragon of knowledge William Clark just confirmed, it’s clear that all critics, no mat- ter how timid, are being moved aside. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEB. 20, 1981—Page 8 WORLD Ne “Helsinki youth meet | attacks arms race - By SYLVIE BAILLARGEON HELSINKI — “The world situation is alarming, but we must not just raise our hands and surrender when faced by disturbing developments,” Esa Harmala told the World Forum of Youth and Stu- _ dents for Peace, Détente and Disarmament. - The Forum, the first of its kind to ever take place in the history of the international youth movement was held here Jan. 19-23 bringing together liberals, social democrats, communists, Christians and others. Discussions centred around the various aspects ofthe arms buildup and actions young people could take to safeguard peace. Harmala, chairperson of the SNT, the host organization representing 35 Finnish youth groups told the forum “we must remind our statesmen that joint agreements and young people cial justice. programs are made to be implemented. As long 8 believe in the future of peace, détente and disarmament, there is hope for the world. War is not inevitable and the threat of war can be eradicated”. — : The Forum also heard from Finnish President Dr. Urho Kekkonen who welcomed the initiative of SNT in organizing the forum. Greetings were also received from Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, the United Nations, UNESCO and - other organizations. The heated debates ended in unity with the adop- tion of a document calling for general and total disarmament, espcially nuclear disarmament, a0 end to the arms build up, particularly in Europe and for solidarity with all those who fight exploitation, discrimination and for national liberation and SO-- ed SOVIET COMMUNISTS TO MEET Two examples of health | care — USSR and here By JOHN WEIR Tribune Moscow Correspondent MOSCOW — I have before me the editorial page of the Toronto. Star of several months vintage. The main editorial is dejected in tone. It should be more than de- jected, it should be angry because it deals with two cases within days of each other where persons suffering heart attacks were turned away from hospitals (au- sterity, not enough beds) and died when their lives could have been saved. A little over two years ago, a Canadian newspaperman suf- fered the same sort of ticker trou- ble while’ on a railway train to Uzhgorod at the far western edge of Soviet Ukraine where it bor- ders with Hungary, Czecho- slovakia, Romania and Poland. The Canadian was in a hospital within minutes of arrival in Uzhgorod. A new wing had been added to the district hospital to take care of just such cases. It needs more equipment, but the staff is super; they boast they haven’t lost a patient yet. The hapless Canadian lay for two months on his back and to- wards the end had to be taught to walk like a baby. Then he was brought to the railway station and, accompanied by a doctor and his assistant, taken to Mos- cow where an ambulance was waiting at the station to carry him to a hospital for another month's treatment, ‘ No questions were asked about foreign citizenship, politics or ability to pay; hospital and medi- cal care are free of charge to everybody. I can vouch for this because I was the Canadian concerned. However, there are others in Canada who have had similar experiences. I do not like to make com- parisons because I can vouch for ‘the high quality of surgery and care at the Toronto Western Hos- pital, for instance, also from per- sonal experience. The com- parison, and it is necessary, is only with the policies of govern- ments that curtail services and are responsible for what I hold is murder of the two turned-away Torontonians. Over here the direction is to in- crease and improve services while making them available to the general public. ' Within a week after this item reaches Tribune readers, the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union will be getting DR. ANNA MERZHIYEVSKAYA is o improvements in the health care system will be a major issue at the 26th Congress of the CPSU. ne of the one million doctor $ practicing in the Soviet Union toda) started. Alongside the struggle for peace and disarmament, the meeting places questions of im- proving public well-being as a toP priority. For instance, the directives fot the new Five Year Plan (1981-85) call for the number of hospital beds in the country to be i — creased by from eight to 10%. _ Protection of health is one 0 the human rights scrupulously ob- served in this country of Fr socialism. Some figures tell the tale. There are one million, doctors — and 2,800,000 medical personnel of middle qualification lookins after the health of the Soviet people. Daily about 3,300,000 persons are cared for in hospitals, _ maternity homes and other such institutions while more than 8. million visit outpatient clincs freé of charge. yt Production of medicines in thé next five-year period will be it creased by 40%. Prices char, are very small, actually nomina: The main direction of Soviet med: ical services is prophylaxis — thal is, prevention of disease. | This is an example of what the present country-wide discussio® and the coming congress is about: