SPLIT WIDENS IN NATO RANKS BRUSSELS — The NATO foreign ministers meeting ended its three-day session in Brussels on Friday badly split over the ques- tion of the European security conference proposed by the Warsaw Treaty states. France, Denmark, Norway and Iceland favor im- mediate opening of negotiations for attending the conference, while the U.S. and Britain are doing everything possible to cool off their allies’ obvious enthusiasm for the idea. One indication of how tense the atmosphere became in the NATO meeting was the approach taken to a speech made by French For- eign Minister Maurice Schumann, in which Schumann urged im- mediate steps to ensure NATO attendance at the security confer- ence. The U.S. delegation, led by Secretary of State William P. Rogers, got Schumann’s speech classified “secret” and officials of the NATO press office were forbidden even to mention it. Inquiring newsmen were told tersely: “Talk to the French delegation, not to us.” Schumann said in his speech that the security conference is necessary ‘“‘to avoid dividing the world into two blocs.” Schumann also praised the growing cooperation and friendly ties between France and the Soviet Union, and told the NATO session that the best example of this was the recent visit to France of Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. French officials later refused to comment on the atmosphere at the NATO meet at that particular point. The French foreign minister’s speech did seem to break the ice to some extent: Danish Foreign Minister Knud Anderson and An- dreas Cappelen, Foreign Minister of Norway, then said they favored convening thé security conference at the earliest possible date. Italian Foreign Minister Aldo Moro said the attitude of the Warsaw Treaty countries “has opened up new horizons for Europe” and said he believed convocation of the security conference “a near task.” Then Iceland, which has a new progressive government includ- ing Communist ministers, served notice on NATO and the U.S. that it is “reviewing” the question of allowing U.S. forces to stay at the big NATO air base at Keavikfl. Privately, NATO sources said the U.S. delegation was furious about the whole meeting. LEADING TURKISH INTELLECTUAL JAILED ANKARA — Prof. Mumtaz Soysal, a leading Turkish economist, was sentenced by a military court to six years and eight months imprisonment for spreading Communist propaganda. Prof. Soysal, until his arrest in June, was dean of the political Sciences faculty of Ankara University. TITO DEMANDS CURB ON ENEMIES BELGRADE — President Tito has accused the Croation Com- munist Party of “rotten liberalism” for failing to prevent a student strike in the Yugoslav republic. The national news agency Tanjug also said he charged the Croatian party with failing to curb coun- ter-revolutionary activity in the republic. Tito told a national party meeting that a so-called revolutionary committee of 50—which he described as “counter-revolutionary”— in Croatia was directing the strike. He said the committee was operating both legally and illegally and that it was centred on “Matical Hrvatska,” a Croatian cultural organization with branches throughout Croatia. “We cannot afford to treat it so liberally; we cannot allow that not only such individuals but counter-revolutionary groups be active in our socialist country,” he said. (As a consequence of the criticism, several members of the Croat leadership resigned their posts and attempts to organize anti-government demonstrations were made. A number of) the organizers were arrested.) UN AGAIN TELLS ISRAEL TO WITHDRAW UNITED NATIONS — By a majority of 79 to 7 (with 36 absten- tions, including the U.S.) the UN General Assembly adopted a re- solution calling on Israel to withdraw from all occupied Arab territories and reactivate the Middle East peace talks under the guidance of UN negotiator Gunnar Jarring that Israel broke off last February. Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban reiterated Israel’s opposition, while the U.S. House appropriation committee approved tempora- ry funds for foreign aid with $300 million to Israel. LATIN AMERICAN UNIONS HIT CUBA BLOCKADE _ CARACAS — The Sixth Congress of the Christian Trade Unions of Latin America, attended by 450 delegates from all the Latin American countries, ended in the Venezuelan capital with a ring- tag denunciation of the U.S. blockade against socialist Cuba. In another surprise move, the largely Roman Catholic unions voted to change the name of their organization to “The Latin American Working Peoples’ Trade Union Centre.” Spokesmen said the word “Christian” had been dropped to help strengthen working class solidarity and unity. 33 The LAWPTUC called on all the Latin American states to restore normal diplomatic: relations with socialist Cuba; it said that most Latin Americans suffer hunger and poverty because of “capitalist oppression”; it strongly criticized racial discrimination and South African apartheid; and it called upon all Latin American workers to show solidarity with the just struggle of the Arab people against Israeli aggression. : : PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1971—PAGE8 :- Liberation of Bengladesh By CHRIS MYANT (interview with Romesh Chan- dra, secretary-general of the World Peace Council and ex- ecutive committee member of the Communist Party of India, printed in the London Morning Star.) : As the tanks began to ‘foll and the bombs to fall one thing seemed to be getting quietly forgotten—Bangladesh itself. Fighting between the armies of Yahya Khan, and the Indians started slowly, but it was start- ed deliberately. The generals in Islamabad, faced with the rising tide of the liberation struggles of the peo- ple of Bangladesh, have tried desperately to involve the In- dians in direct conflict, hoping in this way to mask their repres- sion in Bangadesh itself. Ever since the people of what was East Pakistan voted over- whelmingly in favor of the Awa- mi League and its policy of au- tonomy for the eastern wing of Pakistan, Yahya and his gene- rals clique have done their best to repress the popular move- ment. Savage Repression Awami League leader Sheik Mujibur Rahman is now in jail in West Pakistan, with no firm news as to his fate. Hundreds were shot dead by Yahya’s troops when demonstrating against his refusal to convene the elected Pakistan Assembly. At last 10 million fled the country, overflowing mainly in- to India’s poverty-stricken pro- vince of West Bengal. Yahya, by his repression, made what was an “internal”? problem into an international one. As the Mukti Bahini — the Bangladesh people’s liberation guerillas — gathered in strength over the spring and summer months, Yahya moved his troops up to the Indian border, stepping up a campaign of shel- ling towns through which the refugees streamed, and where the Bangladesh people’s leaders could shelter. a “In order to hide the reality of their political defeat the Pakistani generals and patrons decided to turn the struggle into a war between India and Pakistan,’ Romesh Chandra said, “Yet this was a war which despite all their efforts they were unable to entice India into and India took the clear-cut de- cision not to fall prey to Yahy- a’s designs.” With the backing of the U.S. —as shown in President Nixon’s extreme reluctance to cut off military supplies—the Pakistani regime stepped up its attacks. Yet, Mr. Chandra stressed, the main fighting was in Bangla- desh where the massacres never ceased and where Pakistan’s rulers tried by all means at their disposal to stem the tide of the national liberation move- ment. For international consump- tion Yahya painted the Mukti Bahini as nothing more than an Indian plot. There were no Ben- galis fighting—only “Indian in- filtrators.” Meet in Blackout The climax was reached Dec. 3. Pakistan planes swept low over northern India bombing airfields in an attempt to blitz the Indian air force. That Friday Mr. Chandra was attending a Delhi meeting of the Communist Party of India’s © national executive, of which he is a member. ign = ROMESH CHANDRA “We had to continue our meeting in the blackout as Pakistan’s planes attacked about a dozen airports in North India, but our. position was clear,” he said. “The democratic and progres- sive movement in India has sup- ported the struggle in Bangla- desh. “We support the Indian gov- ernment in any action it takes to defend the country against aggression on the part of the Pakistan generals, any action it takes in support of what we be- lieve is a national liberation struggle on the part of the 75 million people of Bangladesh. Liberation Forces “The guerillas in Bangladesh were better armed than ever before and had won growing support despite the tanks and planes of Yahya. Indeed in the last few weeks before the Pakistani raids large areas had been liberated by the Mukti Bahini. Yahya could see his hold slipping. “We had just received a de- tailed report on the situation from Khoka Ray of the political bureau of the Bangladesh Com- ‘munist Party, one of the oldest and most outstanding leaders of the Party. : “He told us of the growing unity of the Bangladesh armed forces, of how, together with the Awami League, the forces of the Party and of the Left Wing National Awami Party were fighting shoulder to shoul- der. “What he emphasized was that with their victories, with their advances, they were being welcomed everywhere as libe- rators.” We also heard of the Pakis- tani provocations. Comrades from Tripura State—on the far side of Bangladesh — brought vivid stories of the shellings and bombing across the border. U.S. Intrigues But what of the claims by the U.S. that a peaceful settlement was near to being negotiated— a peaceful “settlement” that even the White House sources say would only have led to “vir- tual autonomy”? “Well, it’s true the U.S. now says that it had been just about to settle the whole affair. It says that as it has cut off cer- tain aid from India—though not from Pakistan—and has talked © of India as the aggressor. “There were talks going on. The U.S. authorities were, and had been for the Jast few months, trying to intrigue with certain’ elements, the weakest and most Right Wing of those who were able to come to: India. “Their aim was a sellout by the forces of the Awami League they were negotiating not for 4 political solution but for. sul. render. Exposed by the pro gressive forces, they failed.” Progressive Role How, I asked him, have the Indian democrats reacted to! burdens of the heavier fighting? “Well, there are two things we have been drawing attention to. First, we have demande that the burdens of defense Dé placed on those who can pay and not on the working class and peasantry. od “Secondly, we have warn against certain chauvinist trends that were bound to come UP: Many democrats and people n the progressive movement have criticized statements by the D& fense Minister Jagjivan Re statements which only gave fue to the enemies of Bangladesh. “The Right Wing Hindu pat ty, Jan Sangh, has already bee trying to whip up the fear tha all Moslems in India are pote™ tial traitors... “In the peace movement we have launched a series of cam paigns to show how the strug gle in Bangladesh is the same as that in Vietnam, in Southe Africa, to emphasize that the main enemy is the same aS Vietnam—U.S. imperialism. “But we have also stressé the need for solidarity w! th peoples of West Pakistan, wi Z the arrested members .of th National Awami Party and the Left Wing People’s Publish: ing House, with the intellect’ als who demanded Sheik Mu jib’s release.” ~ Cannot Be Ignored It was the peoples of Bangla desh who brought Yahya to his knees in the East, their yO" people’s army ‘was developiné fast; “Any move by the United Nav tions which tries to ignore these central facts, the facts Ks the desires and strength of a Bangladesh people, the facts © the way in which Yahya te to dodge them, is simply ° enough. : i “Any proposal which ignore the reality of the democrat struggle in Bangladesh, ign the will and the rights of or y people of Bangladesh can pee strengthen the imperialist oF ‘ spiracy against Banglades. Mr. Chandra said. ai “No solution can be accePt ‘ which does not take place wi the involvement of the true’ presentatives of the 75 millio® strong people of Bangladesh. Joint campaign NEW DELHI — At the end us its recent meetings, the Conv de ing Committee of national ys. union centres composed 0 dia presentatives of the I- ; Trade Union Congress Hind Mazdoor Sabha acrt) and the Centre of India 1 Unions (CITU-autonomous) 6 well as industrial federatiO” have announced two joint paigns, one on the questio’ price rises and the other on oe: issues of closed industrial dertakings. Both campaigns include ob servance of “Days of Demat ob between Dec. 5 and 12 tai : out the country by org demonstrations andj) rallies. i207 : zg.