WORLD chance to succeed. Europe.”’ Europe?”’ fine. But it’s not enough.” Soviet moratorium a Challenge to U.S The Soviet Union has challenged the United States to do its part in reducing tensions and provide the Geneva talks with a In a dramatic announcement, April 7, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced the USSR would unilaterally halt all further deployment of. medium-range missiles in Europe. He challenged Washington to match this initiative and to cease its research into its controversial $26-billion SDI (Star Wars) project while the Geneva talks are in progress. ““We are prepared to demonstrate our goodwill again,’’ Gor- bachev said. ‘‘Starting today the USSR is introducing a mor- atorium on the deployment of its intermediate-range missiles and suspending the implementation of other reply measures in In an interview with the newspaper Pravda, Gorbachev said, “The duration of the moratorium is until November this year. The decision we will make after that,’’ he explained, ‘‘will de- . pend on whether the United States follows our example: Will it or not stop the deployment of its intermediate-range missiles in Speaking of Geneva, Gorbachev continued, “‘If one has taken one’s seat at the table to negotiate arms reduction, then one Should at least refrain from increasing them further.”’ Immediate U.S. administration response to the Soviet step was negative. Dismissing the initiative as inconsequential, White House spokesman Larry Speakes said, ‘‘If they want a freeze, The Reagan administration has stepped back from its January agreement to link all three questions at Geneva — medium-range missiles, intercontinental missiles and militarization of space — and now says it will only ‘‘explain’’ Star Wars, not negotiate it. In the four weeks since the Geneva talks began, the U.S. has plowed forward with the War Wars, continued deployment of Pershing-2 and Cruise missiles in But while the U.S. refuses to match the USSR’s peace steps, other important voices in western Europe (see story by Fils Delisle on this page) have welcomed the announcement as an important development toward the goals set for Geneva. European response to USSR offer: ‘an act of goodwill’ Sir Geoffrey Howe, British Foreign Minister, has joined with GDR leaders in welcoming the U.S.-Soviet talks in Geneva as a chance to work out a solution for the entire complex of nuclear and space weapons. . Present in the GDR as guest of Foreign Minister Oskar Fischer, Sir Geoffrey said he favored lessening of international ten- sions, improvement in the East-West climate and the foster- ‘ing of good bilateral relations as part of the process of achieving a better atmosphere in the inter- national situation. The British Foreign Minister’s talks with GDR leaders came.as numerous political leaders, peace movements, trade unions and other organizations in Western Europe voiced support for the Soviet Union’s latest proposal on a moratorium on nuclear missiles and space weapons. Sir Geoffrey made it clear that he and the GDR leaders did not have identical views on all mat- ters involving security ‘‘despite our mutual interest in the success- ful outcome of the negotiations between the U.S. and USSR at Geneva’’. But he told reporters he was satisfied with the results of his talks here which, he said, had served the purpose of strengthen- ing relations between Britain and the GDR. Erich Honecker, State Council Chairman and General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party, in consultations with the British Foreign Minister, joined From Berlin Fils Delisle with him in expressing the desire of both sides to further an honest dialogue on the solving of the life and death questions facing humankind: Obviously heartened by the new Soviet proposals for a moratorium on nuclear and space weapons, an estimated 300,000 people took part in peace demon- strations and traditional Easter marches in more than 200 cities and localities in the Federal Re- public of Germany. The demon- strations denounced the U.S. plans to militarize space, called for an end to deployment of more nuclear weapons and demanded peace with jobs. The many gatherings were or- ganized, attended and addressed by Social Democrats, the Greens, Communists, trade unionists, youth organizations, Christians and other sections of the public. In contrast to the immediate re- jection of the Soviet moratorium proposal by the White House, Ita- lian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi declared that the Soviet initiative would be seriously considered by his government. ‘‘I do not accept the interpretation that what is in- volved here is a manoeuvre,” Craxi said. “‘I consider it a signal of the desire for a dialogue.” At a meeting of the Social Democratic parties of the Euro- pean Economic ~Community- in - Madrid, the West German Chairman of the Social Democra- tic groups in the EEC parliament, Rudi Arndt, called on the U.S. to desist from placing military weapons in space. Horst Ehmke, Chairman of the Social Democratic group in the Bonn parliament welcomed the Soviet proposals. The USSR’s unilateral decision to stop the further deployment of medium- range nuclear missiles until November, he declared, “‘should be answered positively by the USA”. That would provide time and opportunity to work out a sound agreement for a drastic re- duction of medium-range missiles .Stationed in Europe. West German trade union lead- ers participating in the Easter marches supported this view. The Italian trade union centre CGIL said the Soviet proposal ‘‘was an act of goodwill that helps create a climate of trust and mutual under- standing, which is also indispen- sable for the success of the talks at Geneva’. A plea for a positive reaction to the Soviet peace initiative was also made by a coordinating committee of all the West Euro- pean parties of Greens meeting at the Hague. They called on all NATO states to join the Soviet Union in a moratorium until November on the stationing of nuclear missiles in Europe and to make substantial proposals for the reduction of armaments by both sides until that date. International Focus Tom Morris Racist cops with bigger guns Police testimony at the in- ‘quiry into the murders of 19 persons shot March 21 as they Were attending a funeral of Blacks killed days before adds more insight into South Afri- can police mentality. It centered around ammuni- , tion. Police Major Daniel Blig- naut told the inquiry that ‘light’? ammunition such as Apartheid’s cops with riot guns. rubber bullets, tear gas and birdshot were ‘‘useless’’ against protesters. Accord- ingly, his men now carry automatic weapons and heavy-gauge shotguns to ‘‘control unruly crowds’’. Eyewitness reports from the scene of the March 21 killings, charge as many as 45 persons died, not 19 as police claim. Previous police testimony re- vealed that orders to fire into “the crowd were given after one person threw one stone. What the Major is saying is simply that the apartheid police and military have de- clared open war on the people. Police shootings are now everyday occurrences. Five persons were shot over Easter weekend, bringing the official figure of murdered for 1985 to over 100. Police in South Africa today are simply armed terrorists. A geographic transplant could place them comfortably in El Salvador or Chile. Obscenity and greed The smell rising from the U.S. defence industry has be- come so noxious Pentagon au- ditors have been forced to take note. Graft and corruption abound as big business scrambles for the megabucks up for: grabs. 1tis