= PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE BEGUN

Special to the Tribune
, ADDIS ABABA — Revolutionary Ethiopia is tak-
INg necessary measures to defend itself against a U.S.
IVastion.

A report has just been released of a meeting, Sept. 3
of the central committee of the Commission for Or-
8anizing the Party of the Working People of Ethiopia
(COPWE), charged that ‘‘ The stationing of American

id Deployment forces at Berbera, Somalia, just
00 km from the Ethiopian border, and at Kismayu,

Malia, constitutes a grave danger, more serious
than all the difficulties which have so far confronted

© revolution and the country.

ere is no question,” says the resolution, “‘that
conspiracy of the Government of the United
tates with the Somalia emissaries of destruction, to
9 bases for its rapid deployment forces ... 1S
Intended as a final step to be in an assault position
when the present preparations to invade Ethiopia are

_ ©ompleted.”’

A highly-placed spokesman of the Provisional Mili-
tary Administrative Council of Socialist Ethiopia,
mphasized “‘the gravity of the danger entailed in this
Collusion between imperialism and the reactionary
€xpansionist regime of Somalia, to the stability and
Peaceful development of the states of the Horn of

a region, and to the peace of the world at large.”

Condemning Washington’s interference in parts of

the world far from its shores, the Working People’s
arty Committee notes that ‘‘The American
vermment has decided to station its first rapid
deployment force at Berbera ... and at Kismayu ...
ere is no other explanation for taking these steps,””

Say spokesmen innured to the schemes of imperial- |

ism, ‘except that the United States has decided to
Make Revolutionary Ethiopia and the People’s
Mocratic Republic of Yemen its first targets for
aggression.”’
Considering the decisions made and the steps taken

‘by the Council of Ministers of the Provisional Military

Government of Ethiopia, the Working People’s Party
Committee calls for preparedness and states:

“The number of countries which are successfully
Struggling for social and democratic freedom has been
Steadily increasing from day to day. This develop-
Ment has so infuriated the Government of the United
States that it has adopted a more militaristic policy

ever before, and has therefore become more
aBBTessive and dangerous.
Thus, the American government has openly de-

_ Clared its intention to beef up its military power in the

world, especially in Africa and in the Indian Ocean. It
has further shamelessly declared its plan to dispatch
rapid deployment forces to intervene in any indepen-
dent country in defence of so-called U.S. interests.’

To fulfill America’s militarist policy, the document
details, the U.S. Government is now feverishly en-
gaged in setting up new bases and up-grading the old
ones, in total disregard of the resolutions of the
Organization of African Unity, the United Nations,
and the Non-Aligned Movement, calling for the In-
dian Ocean to a zone of peace, free from military
bases .

Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile-Mariam. Top officials
in his government have called the stationing of Ameri-
can forces on its borders the most serious threat yet
encountered by the revolutionary government.

‘‘In Europe also the United States is installing addi-
tional missiles,’’ the resolution of the Workers’ Party
warns. ‘‘All in all, it is preparing itself for revenge,
world war and the destruction of humanity.

It speaks of the tremendous sacrifices of the Ethio-
pian people to liberate themselves from reactionary,
backward and fascistic semi-feudal rule, in the face of
man-made problems, hunger, disease, illiteracy, pov-
erty and backwardness. It asserts that living in har-
mony, the countries of the region can develop on their
natural resources instead of engaging in wars of
mutual destruction. But, ‘‘the intervention of the Un-
ited States, at this particular time, proves that it has
chosen to prepare itself for destructive purposes.”

In a warning to other countries, the Ethiopian
workers’ party committee sounds this alarm: “‘
since we cannot see American forces apart from those
of other NATO countries (and that includes Canada
— Canadian Tribune), the overall development that
has been precipitated under the leadership of the Un-
ited States constitutes a most serious and strong warn-
ing to defenceless, developing and non-aligned coun-
tries whose very existence is imperiled.”

A responsible spokesman for the Military Council
in Ethiopia states forthrightly: ‘Realizing the futility
of its previous attempts against the Ethiopian
people’s revolution, U.S. imperialism has decided to
attack Revolutionary Ethiopia head-on.

‘*Revolutionary Ethiopia has a clean record of re-
specting the territorial integrity of her neighbors and
of strict adherence to the principles and resolutions of
the OAU, the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement,”
the Military Council points out.

And, ‘‘during the last two years, the revolutionary
people and government of Ethiopia have been carry-
ing on a massive campaign to reconstruct the war-torn
economy and to rid the country of backwardness,
ignorance and poverty, as well as to resettle and re-
habilitate victims of war and natural calamities,”’ a
government leader asserts.

‘* __. since the mass-scale campaign against il-
literacy began last year, no less than seven million
people have been taught to read and write.”

“It is against this successful march forward of the
Ethiopian people’s revolution that U.S. imperialism
is now directly colluding with the incorrigibly expan-
sionist regime of Somalia,’’ the spokesman said.
‘‘What is at stake is not just the unity and the rev-
olution of the Ethiopian nation. It is the peace of the
world as a whole, which is at stake as a result of
America’s reckless collusion with Somalia.”

Greek industrialists stifle opposition .

_ Rising living costs and a drop in real
incomes of working people is not special
to Canada, but is seen throughout the
capitalist world. Similarly, efforts by
Corporations and their state bodies to
make working people pay for the present
deep crisis can be observed. Recently,
the Greek Communist Party daily,
Rizospastis, published the following plan
developed by Greek ruling circles:
ek ike

Revealling admissions for a drop in
working people’s incomes are found in a
Confidential report made by industrialists
and submitted to the Minister of Co-
Ordination and Finance. Among other
things they admit that:

e The income of working people is

e No real curbs on inflation are fore-
seen,
e There is a huge tax injustice against
Wage and salary earners,

e Inflation hits hardest at persons de-
Pendent on wages and salaries.

_ In the same document, the industrial-
sts demand: ~

e Insignificant wage increases be ag:

e There is a need to offset public anger
by some tax relief, which requires a reduc-
tion in a government spending for social
services.

In more detail, the report, prepared by
the Institute of Economic and Industrial
Studies, an organ of the Association of
Greek Industries, says the following:

‘‘Skyrocketting inflation over the past
years, combined with the non-adjust-
ment of income tax rates, has resulted in
a reduction of the available real income
of salary earners, pensioners and others
on fixed incomes. ...

‘_ This situation can breed danger-
ous conditions of social unrest in the near
future if no appropriate corrective mea-
sures are taken . . . given that inflationary
pressures are not likely to be suddenly

curbed to an acceptable level.

‘‘Indicative of the situation is the fact
that the available real income for a
four-member family was reduced in 1979
by 5-6% for the average industrial
employee and by 9% for somewhat

higher ranked ones.”’

The report goes on:

‘‘Available statistical data for 1975-77
shows that in 1975, wage earners and
pensioners, who comprise 51.6% of all
taxpayers, paid 37.4% of the total income
tax. In 1977, the paid 48.4% of the total
income tax. This shift of the tax share at
the expense of wage earners and pen-
sioners is certainly worse for 1978-79 al-

‘though statistical data is not available.”

It is understood that the industrialists
refer only to direct taxes. Their report
goes on in such frankness as can only be
found in strictly confidential documents.
For example:

“The relative contribution of the
salaried to the total declared income and
to revenues from taxes exceeds that of all
other categories of taxpayers com-
bined.’’ They admit that:

‘‘The redistribution of the tax burden
caused by persisting inflation (1975-79)
especially hit wage earners, not only be-
cause they contributed the biggest por-
tion, but because they do not have any
real chance to avoid tax returns.

“It was discovered,”’ the report says,
‘that taxes paid by the average industrial
workers in 1979 were 215% higher than
those they would have paid had there been
a system of cost-of-living adjustment of

tax rates.”’
* * *

These confessions are made within the
pressures they exert on the government
to not permit satisfactory wage increases
for working people while, at the same
time, coping with the justified anger of
the people by conceding some tax relief
— a concession which will be paid by
working people inasmuch as it will come
by cutting back on social services.

‘Under these conditions,” the report
counsels, ‘‘the government can gain con-
siderable benefits by adopting an in-
comes policy which will constrain the
rate of wage and salary increases to rela-
tively low levels and, therefore, will not
feed inflation, while at the same time (this
policy) will ensure tax relief to wage ear-
ners.”

(1) Country-wide wage and salary in-
creases are determined each year by the
government which sets the rate of increase
in minimum wages for industry and ser-
vices. Lacking large national unions, most
workers are forced each year to accept the
‘‘official”’ rate of increase. A rate of 15%
increase was established for 1980, for
example, while the inflation rate will ex-
ceed 25%.

1
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‘U.S. plans to invade Ethiopia’)

4 Sranted (1). :
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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOV. 21, 1980—Page 7