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WORLD

World News"

End occupation,
urge Arab CPs

Eleven Communist Parties in the Arab
world have issued a joint appeal to all pro-
gressives world-wide to step up the pressure
everywhere for an end to the brutal Israeli
repressions and occupation of West Bank,
Gaza and East Jerusalem.

“Under Israeli military occupation since
1967, these territories have been the scene of
a general mass uprising. The Palestinian
people are expressing their rejection of
Israeli occupation and asserting their legit-
imate rights to return to their homeland, to
self-determination and to the establishment

of their independent state in accordance

iti

with the resolutions of the United Nations,”
the appeal says.
The’statement goes on to charge Israeli
authorities with the most brutal repression
and terror and says “the situation is being

~ further aggravated by the Israeli govern-

ment’s insistence — with direct U.S. sup-

ort — on confronting the Palestinian
uprising with an “iron fist” policy ... refus-
ing any discussion of a just solution to the
Palestinian problem which constitutes the
essence of the Middle East crisis.”

The appeal calls for ever more solidarity
actions: for an end to expulsions and depor-
tations; for the release of detainees; for
withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army
from cities, towns and refugee camps; for an
end to the settlements policy and the “iron
fist” policy. .

The appeal is co-signed by the Jordanian
Communist Party, Iraqi Communist Party,
National Liberation Front of Bahrain,
Vanguard Socialist Party of Algeria, Com-
munist Party of Saudi Arabia, Syrian
Communist Party, Lebanese Communist
Party, Palestinian Communist Party, Egyp-
tian Communist Party, Party of Progress
and Socialism of Morocco and the Tunisian
Communist Party.

Talks proceeding
over Kampuchea

The second round of talks between the
government of People’s Republic of Kampu-
chea (PRK) and Prince Norodom Sihanouk
aimed at a peaceful settlement of the situa-
tion in and around Kampuchea have been
completed in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a
Paris suburb. The next round is scheduled
for Pyongyang in late April, to be followed
by rounds in France and Delhi.

The talks showed a common stance is
being worked out for a multi-party system
and on internationally supervised general
national assembly elections to be followed
by the elaboration of a constitution.

PRK Foreign Minister. Hun Sen and
Sihanouk agreed on the international status
of Kampuchea as an independent, neutral
and non-aligned state and on international
guarantees for a political settlement. But the
PRK disagreed with Sihanouk’s plan for
disbanding the present Kampuchean govern-
ment, It argued that this would boil down to
annulling Kampuchean statehood and
would clear the way for a return to power of
Pol Pot’s 30,000 soldiers camped on the
Kampuchean-Thai border. -

Hun Sen pointed out that Pol Pot has
rejected all appeals to join in any national
reconciliation effort, If the PRK is annulled,
Hun Sen argued, the Pol Pot genocide
which claimed millions of victims between
1975 and 1979 and ruined the country eco-
nomically, could begin afresh.

Vietnam has co-operated fully in the pro-
cess, announcing it will withdraw its troops
by 1990 and even earlier if a political settle-

ment is reached,

New initiatives taking market
away from the ‘fartsovchiki’

MOSCOW — At long last the fartsov-
chiki may be facing real trouble.

A fartsovchik is a black-marketeer, a
figure greatly reviled but extraordinarily
persistent in Soviet life. Typically young,
hip looking and pushy, these Russian
Sammy Glicks gather in droves around
tourist hotels where they make themselves
an obnoxious fixture of every westerner’s
visit to the Soviet Union.

Few tourists escape their wink-wink,
nudge-nudge offers to change money, buy
your camera or the clothes off your back.
Since they are touting rates as high as three
roubles to the U:S, dollar (officially the
rate is $1.60 to one rouble) there seems
little doubt that business for them is brisk.

The fartsovchiki may be parasites but
they are rarely slouches. A successful one
must have a good grasp of the major west-
ern languages, a quick mind and an
unerring eye for quality. They have fre-
quently amazed me by knowing western
brands, models and prices far better than I
do. A sharp fartsovchik can tell the differ-
ence between a pair of genuine Adidas and
cheap Hong Kong rip-offs from 20 paces.

Since their game is highly illegal, they
may first approach you with some inno-
cent question in Russian, such as “‘skolka
vremia?”’—-what’s the time? — just to
ascertain who you are. When you stumble
Over those Russian numbers, they know
they’ve got a bona fide foreigner. Some
are even clever enough to figure out from
your mispronunciations what language-
group you belong to, and the pestering
begins: Want to sell your coat? Want to
buy icons? ...

When I first arrived in Moscow, and
had the patience for it, I sometimes used to
String them along in hopes of finding out
what makes them tick. I soon discovered
that the only conversation possible,
besides buying and selling, is a sad parody
of western cliches about the Soviet
Union — “You know, this is totalitarian
life we have her ... Yeah, we got no free-
dom at all ...”. And so on —all
designed to convince the gullible tourist
that he is dealing with a noble political
dissident rather than a two-bit street
hustler.

Nowadays'I have learned to get rid of
them quickly with expressions that range
from the unprintable in any language to
“idiy rabotat” — get a job.

I am not suggesting that these are typi-
cal of Soviet youth. Indeed, there are
plenty of alternatives for young people.
Most of them go to work or school, and
when they encounter foreigners, they try
to establish friendship on an equal footing.
Only the weasels, of which every society
has its share, see the chance of turning a
profit out of east-west disparities,

Nevertheless, it is also true that a vast,
long-suppressed consumer demand across
the breadth of Soviet society is what keeps
the black market alive. As long as ordi-
nary, respectable Soviet working people
are willing to pay exorbitant prices in
hard-earned roubles for a Japanese tape
recorder or French perfume, the fartsov-
chiki will continue to prowl the tourist
hotels,

The present Soviet leadership appears
to recognize this, and has therefore not
bothered to launch futile police crack-
downs against the fartsovchiki or to waste
its breath trying to sermonize them out of

business, Instead, it has begun formulat- _

ing long-term policies that will eventually
undercut them by providing a wider range
of quality Soviet-made consumer goods
for the people and, gradually, open the

From Moscow

_ Fred Weir

country up to the world market,

In the short-run, the government has
taken one step that signals it may be
serious about permanently shutting-down
the black market. As of July 1, this year,
the exclusive shops that cater to those
Soviets. who have access to- foreign
currency —known as “certificate beri-
ozkas” — will be closed.

The original purpose of these shops was
to ensure that all hard currency wound up
in the hands of the state. Soviets who
worked or had relatives abroad’ bought
special hard currency “‘certificates” with
their money, which they could redeem at
the beriozakas for scarce imported con-
sumer goods. However, the social cost of
this has been resentment, envy and division
in the community.. These shops have
become a symbol of privilege for the lucky
few, and both the goods they dispense and
the magic “‘certificates” have been objects
of frantic speculation.

For those Soviets who have legitimate
access to foreign money, alternatives are
being offered. They may now set up spe-
cial dollar bank accounts, and freely take
these savings out of the country when they
travel. At home, they will be able to buy
only a few big-ticket items with it, such as a
car or co-op flat.

More important, the government is also
promising that whatever quantities of
imported consumer goods are available
will henceforth be distributed in a demo-
cratic fashion. One example of how this
will work is provided by the special ‘‘Sec-
ction 200” of Moscow’s famous GUM
department store, which specializes in
imported goods. ‘Section 200” is now tra-
velling around the city, opening one day at
this industrial enterprise, the next day at
that institute, and’so on. Its prices are high,
but not black-market level. This provides

Horizon television assembly plant in Minsk: poor quality of Soviet consumer
goods, lack of imports have enabled black market to flourish. c

,the average working person, at least once
in a while, with the opportunity to step
into a legitimate store and put down his or
her roubles for a VCR or a pair of Levis.
‘The potential attitude change that goes
‘with this is tremendous.

None of this yet poses a serious threat to
the fartsovchiki and their multifarious
business concerns, but it is a significant
straw in the wind. A quick though admit-"
tedly unscientific survey of fartsovchiki in
thé Belgrade Hotel, just around the corner
from where I live, reveals them all to be
thoroughly disgusted with the plan to
close the beriozkas: very good evidence
indeed that the government is on the right
track.

In the longer term, Soviet economists
say it will be desirable to close the “cash
beriozkas” for foreigners as well, and
move toward a convertible rouble. This
would be the crack of doom for the fart-
sovchiki and their specialized brethren, the
valutchiki, who deal in hard currencies.

In the final analysis, of course, the prob-
lems can only be eliminated by dramati-
cally improved consumer production and
expanded international trade. But this
may not be as difficult or as distant as its
sometimes seems.

I recall, on my first trip to the USSR in
1970, seeing hordes of young children
hanging around Red Square to pester
tourists for chewing gum. Later, the Soviet
government built some factories to pro-
duce the stuff, with the result that there is
now a wide range of flavours on sale at
kiosks everywhere. Today’s Soviet kids
couldn’t care less about our bubble gum.

So perhaps we can now begin to foresee
the day when the fartsovchiki will be
forced to take honest jobs, and all that
energy will be harnessed to peaceful pur-

poses,

.

‘ .

ar
AN &.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 17, 1988 e 9