‘OUR IDEAL IS A WORLD WITHOUT WEAPONS

CPSU report ‘unconditionally rejects wa

MOSCOW — The political report to the 27th Congress
of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a striking
reaffirmation of the consistent and humane peace policy
of the USSR. It points out that since the Russian Revo- From Moscow
lution of November, 1917 and the subsequent emergence
of a world socialist community, fundamental differences [ae against the arms race, for the preservati
have arisen between the socialist and the capitalist Jack Phillips . a errbnbtheitie of universal peace, banine the
worlds. : d , aie mental direction of the Party’s activities on the int

These have to do with the assessment of current affairs a national scene. There is no alternative to this policy
and views concerning the future of the world. From the Speaking about the prospects of another Su
beginning, capitalism regarded socialism as a mistake in meeting between the leaders of the U.S. and the USSR
history, one that had to be corrected and by force if _ diplomatic channels, but also directly to the peoples of Gorbachev, in delivering the report said, “There is j
necessary. — the world. sense in holding empty talks.’’ However, he left the d oc

As stated in the key document, the difficulty of the ‘*Socialism’’, declares the main report, ‘‘un- wide open for another meeting that would bring practi

state political and economic conditions and ideolo
disputes. Our ideal is a world without violence
weapons, a world in which each people freely chooses
path of development, its way of life. That is why fo
future as well, the struggle against the nuclear men

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ruling classes in the capitalist world is to recognize that
socialism is not a temporary phenomenon. To quote the
report: ““Today, too, the right-wing of U.S. monopoly
capital regards the stoking up of international tensions
as something that justifies military allocations, claims to
global supremacy, interference in the affairs of other
states and an offensive against the interests and rights of
the American working people. No small role seems to be
played by the idea of using tension to exercise pressure
on the allies, to make them implicitly obedient, to sub-
ordinate them to Washington’s orders.”

This thinking is described as an act of despair, albeit a
dangerous one, and as flight into the past rather than a
response to the future. The policy document again
underlines the willingness of the Soviet Union to do
everything it can to radically improve the international
situation.

“To achieve this,” the report says, “‘socialism need
not renounce any of its principles it has always stood for,
and continues to stand for —the peaceful co-existence of
states belonging to different social systems.”’

Much will depend on the degree of
realism that Western ruling circles will
show in assessing the situation.

Describing the future of relations between socialist
and capitalist countries, and the USSR and the U.S. in
particular, the report declares that the decisive factor on
the world scene is the growth and activity of the peace
potential and its capability of effectively repulsing the
threat of nuclear war. Then, there is this sober reflection:
**Much will depend on the degree of realism that West-
ern ruling circles will show in assessing the situation.
Peaceful co-existence rather than confrontation of the
systems should be the rule in inter-state relations.”

The policy statement describes the current ad-
ministration in Washington, and their backers, as a
right-wing group that came to power and then made a
sharp turn from detente to a policy of force. ‘‘They have
adopted doctrines that reject good-neighborly relations
and co-operation as a principle of world development, as
a political philosophy of international relations.”

Relations with the Social Democratic movement were
dealt withina positive fashion. While there are ideological
differences and while the achievements and experiences
are dissimilar and non-equivalent, the CPSU maintains
that it is useful for each side to have an unbiased look at
the other's viewpoint, in order to further the struggle for
peace. It is significant that 23 labor, Social Democratic
and Socialist parties accepted invitations to attend the
CPSU Congress as fraternal guests. The French Social-
ist Party was mandated to represent the Socialist Inter-
national.

Thus, the Central Committee report struck a realistic
but positive note in respect to international affairs. The

- Jan. 15 proposals of the Soviet Union (to eliminate all

nuclear weapons in the world by the end of this century),
it’ was pointed out, were released not only through

conditionally rejects war as a means of settling state-to-

results in key areas of limiting and reducing armaments

MOSCOW — ‘‘The eyes of the world are on this
Congress. The line of action you chart will not only
have a profound effect in the Soviet Union: it will
have an equally profound effect on the course of
world development,”’ said William Kashtan, Gen-
eral Secretary of the Communist Party of Canada
and leader of the Canadian Party’s fraternal delega-
tion, opened his address to the 27th Congress of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union, on March 4.

‘‘The line of action and plans to the year 2000
stand out as further confirmation that socialism,
peace and social progress go together.”

Kashtan hailed the latest peace initiatives by the
Soviet Union to end the threat of nuclear war, and
said that they have stirred up the world. ‘‘The
concrete steps proposed to reach that goal, the
time schedule, these mark a tremendous step for-
ward in the fight for peace.”

He sharply criticized the Reagan administration
for not responding positively, for continuing with
the Star Wars program and for refusing to under-
take a moratorium on nuclear testing. “‘The
Reagan administration continues its dangerous
course while talking peace. However, the time is
long past for hollow statements about peace while
accelerating the arms race. Concrete actions are
called for.”

The Canadian party spokesman voiced concern
over the fact that the establishment media in
Canada blacked out the Gorbachev proposals of
Jan. 15 for putting an end to the arms race.

‘* All this emphasizes the point that tremendous
efforts are called for to popularize these proposals,
to win massive support for them and to extend the
peace movements. The formation of the Canadian
Peace Alliance has created better possibilities to
extend the fight for peace and for an independent
foreign policy for Canada.”’

Kashtan told the 5,000 delegates and the hun-
dreds of foreign guests that such a course is all the
more necessary in light of the systematic efforts of
the Canadian government to further integrate
Canada economically and militarily with U.S. im-
perialism.

“This pro-U.S. orientation has led to wide-
spread concern and alarm amongst a growing body
of Canadians. More and more people now under-
stand that free trade with the U.S. will lead to loss
of Canada’s sovereignty within the U.S. empire,

Kashtan calls for Communist
unity in struggle for peace

while support of U.S. foreign policies and military
integration with it opens the door to nuclear disa
ter for Canada. The demands for independent eco- —
nomic development, for an independent foreign
policy, for a democratic Canadian culture are br-
inging about new alignments in Canada.”

Kashtan went on to state that the new pos-
sibilities opened up by the Gorbachev proposals
for an end to nuclear weapons will be dissipated
unless powerful, United Actions are undertaken on
a world scale. He stressed that the Communist and
Workers’ parties have a great responsibility to help —
co-ordinate and extend peace action on two fronts: —
One, to win support for the Gorbachev peace plan;
two, to defeat the global efforts of U.S. imperialism
to crush those people who have either won their
independence and freedom orare striving to do so.

‘*We believe it is more than timely for Commu-
nist and Workers’ parties to set aside whatever
differences there may be and unite their efforts on
these two central questions, around which the
issue of peace or war will be resolved,”’ he said.

In reference to the economic plans advanced by ~
the congress, Kashtan noted that they are in sharp —
contrast to the plans in the capitalist world, where
mass unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and
hunger prevail, and where plans are geared to the
creation of mass unemployment and all its atten- —
dant evils. 4

The CPC leader then compared the present situ- ‘
ation in Canada with the early, post-war period, —
Then, the establishment media spoke of a “new |
day’’, of ‘‘crisis free capitalism,”’ and the ‘‘welfare —
state.’ In their place, he said, there are restraints, —
lower living standards and growing attacks on t
trade union movement. But, he went on, tho
policies are being opposed with growing vigor.
‘‘Working people in our country cannot but notice
the contrast between capitalism with its ma
unemployment and growing poverty and the pla
of socialism which spell out continuing growth and
ever higher living standards for the people.”

Declaring that the next 15 years will be decisive
in the struggle for peace and social progress, —
Kashtan closed by wishing the Soviet people suc-_
cess in their efforts to further strengthen socialism,
and in so doing, to influence world developmen
towards peace independence and social progress. —

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Palme’s
murder
shocks,
angers
Swedes

The assassination of Swedish
Prime Minister Olof Palme, Feb.
28, added to the killing of Indira
Gandhi last year, lengthens the

- list of those falling victims to polli-

tical murder. Both had been ac-
tive advocates of the principles of
the non-aligned movement, of re-
spect for national sovereignty,
non-aggression, equality among
states and of peaceful co-
existence.

While the assassin of Palme is
unknown, it’s little secret which

8 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 12, 1986

forces benefit from his death.
Palme headed an independent
commission on security and dis-
armament, and in a recent inter-
view with Japanese journalists
opposed Reagan’s Star Wars pro-

gram as illusory and leading to -

another spiral in the arms race.
His views on Central America
were equally known: a 1985 inter-
view in the Swedish press carried
Palme’s opposition to the U.S.
contra war against Nicaragua.
Similarly on the Middle East,

Palme told the Algerian paper
El-Moudjahid his country sup-
ported the right of the Palestinian
people and condemned Israel’s
genocide in Lebanon.

Palme’s work for detente and
cooperation in Europe included
active promotion for a policy of
freezing nuclear arsenals, com-
plete ending of nuclear testing and
the establishment ofa nuclear free

zone in Central Europe and -

northern Europe.

OLOF PALME
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