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Asked about PLO rights

Writers’ trial opens in Israel

TEL AVIV — The trial of two
Communist journalists arrested
following the visit last November
to Israel of Egyptian president
Sadat is due to resume here May

The two, Israeli journalist
Hans Lebrecht and Cypriot

Panayotis Paschalis, were ar-
rested on trumped-up charges fol-
lowing their putting of forthright
questions to Israeli premier Begin
at-a new conference. They asked
Begin (see Tribune, Feb. 13,
1978) how he considered peace
could be achieved without taking

a

Canadian Communists urge Begin
to halt persecution of journalists
TORONTO — In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin,

April 24, William Kashtan, general secretary of the Communist Party of
da, called for Begin’s intervention in the political trials in Tel Aviv of

two hewspapermen.

“We address this letter to you with the request that the charges against
Panayotis Paschalis, member of the editorial staff of Haravghi, the

_ central organ of the AKEL in Cyprus, and of Hans Lebrecht, member of

the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Israel, and correspon-
dent in Israel for many papers, be annulled,’’ said Kashtan’s letter.
“Tn our view,” it pointed out, “‘the arrests are a political frame-up

ed to undermine freedom of expression and freedom of the press of

those who work for a just and stable peace in the Middle East and for
democracy and social progress in Israel.
“We ask for your intervention to the end that the charges are droppe-

d,” the letter said.

into account the rights of the
Palestinian people and their rep-
resentatives the PLO.

The Communist Party of Israel,
in a letter to the international
community, has called for a cam-
paign to protest the frame-up of
the two writers and the Begin
government attack on freedom of
the press.

Hans Lebrecht is a member of
the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Israel and
correspondent in Israel for
L’Humanité (France), L’Unita
(Italy), Unsere Zeit (Federal Re-
public of Germany), Neues
Deutschland (GDR). He is also a
member of the General Council of
the International Federation of
Resistance Fighters and secretary
of the Association of Anti-Hitler
Fighters and Victims of Nazism in
Israel.

Panayotis. Paschalis is .a
member of the editorial staff of
Haravghi Daily, central news-
paper of AKEL, the communist
party of Cyprus.

Peace Congress urges
U.S. to cancel N-bomb

‘TORONTO — The Canadian

‘Peace Congress has expressed

alarm and suspicion over U.S.
President Carter’s go-ahead sig-
nal oh delivery systems for the
neutron bomb, while deferring
production of the bomb ‘itself.

In a letter, April 25, the peace
body told Carter:

‘*We welcome your announced
intention to defer a decision on
mass production of the neutron
bomb. We are alarmed, however,
by your simultaneous decision to
equip weapons systems for its de-

livery. This inevitably raises the ~

suspicion,”’ the Peace Congress
said, ‘‘that the deferment may be
merely a move to deflect the
world-wide movement of protest
against the new horror weapon.”

Carter announced April 7 that
the U.S. was deferring pro-
duction of the neutron bomb. At
that time he sought to leave the
impression that a permanent ban>
depended on Soviet cuts in con-
ventional arms.

The Peace Congress letter

pointed out. that the ‘‘neutron
bomb, by its limited range,
dangerously lowers the thresh-
hold of nuclear war. Coming on
the heels of the introduction of the
cruise - missile, it represents an
unprecedented unilateral escala-
tion of the armaments race,”’ the
letter charged. ‘‘It has already se-
verely set back the process of
détente and the building of mutual
trust. a

“You have indicated by previ-
ous statements,’’ the Peace Con-
gress reminded President Carter,
“‘that you are aware of the truth
expressed by your predecessor,
John F. Kennedy: ‘Mankind must
abolish the bomb, or the bomb
will abolish mankind.’

‘‘We therefore urge you in the
name of life itself, to discard the
neutron bomb, once and for all.
This would greatly increase the
chances that the impending Spe-
cial Session of the United Nations
will become the turning point
away from the mad race toward
the nuclear holocaust.”

SOCIALIST CZECHOSLOVAKIA

30 years of struggle

The February 1948 victory was
the culmination of many years of
Class struggles for the social and
Political rights of the working
people for national freedom, state
Independence” and the © interna-
tional security of our state. The
Struggle for the fulfillment of the
Progressive essence of Czechos-
lovak history, for socialism and a
Communist tomorrow of our na-
tions entered a new stage.

International imperialism how-
€ver, has to this day not recon-
Ciled itself with the rout of reac-
tion in this country. Through the
Past 30 years our class opponents
have been undertaking the most

Iverse actions against our
Socialist system, waging cam-
Paigns. of slander and with the

elp of. various emigre agents
and turncoats attempting to bes-
Mirch the great work of our people
which is the result and heritage of
February 1948.

Two-Nation State

_ The creation of an independent
Joint staté of Czechs and Slovaks:
In 1918 represented an important
Tesult of the struggles for the great
ideals of national and social free-
doms.

The birth of Czechoslovakia,
Whose 60th anniversary we shall

, Técall this autumn, was the great

lide in the life of our people,

Tiking progress in comparison

With the reactionary and semi-
feudal Habsburg domination. Fol-
Owing centuries of foreign rule

Oppression a_ substantially.

More favorable framework was

Set up in the new state for the
Promotion of national life and for
€ wider unfolding of the struggle
for the social and political rights
of the working people.
. Under the influence of the
areat October Socialist Revolu-
ton (in Russia), our working class
Sttove for a socially and nation-
Y Just social order. However,
€ struggle for the class character

of the new state was at that time.

decided in favor of the

May 9, 1945, the day of final
liberation of Czechoslovakia
from the fascists, is linked with.
other important anniversaries
in:.these excerpts..from..a
speech, February 23, by Gus-
tav Husak, president of the
Czechoslovak Socialist Repub-
lic and general secretary of the
Communist Party of Czecho-
slovakia. One of the decisive
dates in the country’s history
was February 1948, when the
workers and peasants deci-
sively chose the road to
socialism. The third anniver-
sary, to be celebrated this fall,
is the 1918 creation of a two-
nation state of Czechs and
Slovaks.

bourgeoisie with the help of re-
formist leaders who followed the
path of collaboration with the
bourgeoisie.

Forty years will have passed
this year from the shameful
Munich agreement which was the
tragic consequence ‘of the ban-
kruptcy of the policy of the
Czechoslovak bourgeoisie, of the
betrayal of its bourgeois allies, the
beginning of the disruption of the
republic by the nazi subjugation
of our nations.

In the bitter national liberation
struggle our people became more
and more convinced that the
Communists were the most con-
sistent anti-fascists and patriots.

Our party strove for the unity of”
‘all patriotic and anti-fascist forces

in the struggle against the occup-
ants in the fight for the restoration
of national freedom and state in-
dependence.
Liberation Day May 9

May 9, the day when the libera-
tion of our ‘country .was com-
pleted in the capital; Prague, be-
came the greatest day in the his-
tory of our people. We will
forever recall with profound
gratitude that it was the first
socialist state (the Soviet Union)
of the world which, at the cost of

7

tremendous sacrifices brought
freedom to our nations as well.

The Communist Party of
Czechoslovakia became the

largest government party and the -
motor behind the revolutionary -

process. The Unified Revolutio-
nary Trade Union Movement and
other mass organizations played a
significant role. New revolutio-
nary organs of power — National
Committees — were set up in
which the ‘working class, the
working people assumed a deci-
sive position at all levels. The
nationalization of key branches of
the national economy were
placed into the hands of the work-
ing people.

In the years 1945-48 represen-
tatives of a part of the bourgeois
forces strove to reverse the
course of history and at an oppor-
tune moment to dismantle the re-.
volutionary achievements and re-
store the capitalist order. They
therefore impeded the govern-
ment, the fulfillment of the two-
year plan, the drafting of the new
Constitution, they disrupted the
flow of supplies, tried to dis-
member the national front and the
unity of social organizations.

Three anniversaries are recal-
led in these excerpts from a
speech, Feb. 23 by Gustav

“asak, secretary general of the
ymmunist Party of Czechos-
fovakia, and president of the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
It was delivered to a joint session
of the central committees of the
Communist. Party and the Na-
tional Front, and the presidium of
the parliament. The Czechos-
lovak leader notes the 1918 estab-
lishment of a two-nation state, the
May 1945 liberation from the
Nazis, andthe Feb. 1948 mass

-public victory over right-wing

forces who tried to bring down the
government.

The Party exposed this reac-
tionary policy and mobilized the
working class, the working

“ss

The line of bullding socialism was

LET j¥

= 3 OSVOBOZEA
_ACESKOSLOVENSK:

4G rf ‘i

*

dopted at the Sth Congress of the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in May, 1959. Photo: Rally in
Prague’s Old Town Square in honor of the Sth Congress.

peasantry, our entire people for a
struggle against it.

__ In the dramatic days of Feb-
ruary 1948, the encounter took
place in which the future de-
velopment of our society as well
as the international position of our
state were decided.

Thousands in Leading Positions

In February 1948 political
power passed completely into the
hands of the working class and the
working people.

_ The Party was aware that the
building of a new society was a
difficult task. We approached its
solution under very complicated
international conditions. The
working class and the working
people had to learn in their stride,
the art of management and gov-
ernment, the skill to organize a
unified planned economy. For
this purpose thousands of new
people devoted to socialism had
to be promoted to leading posi-
tions in political and other organs.

_In the 1960s it was necessary to

‘formulate a new, long-term realis-
-tic program of an all-round de-

velopment of socialism. How-
ever, -the then leadership of the
party and state was unable to ful-
fill this task.

Self-indulgence and lack of
criticism and self-criticism led to
subjective improvisation, to ef-
forts at overtaking developments
and skipping their individual
stages.

Right-wing opportunists, anti-.

socialist and counter-
revolutionary forces were attack-
ing more and more overtly the re-

volutionary achievements which
we attained since February 1948.

After the passage of 10 years
we again express our appreciation
for the internationalist fraternal
assistance provided-by the Soviet
Union and the other socialist
countries which . . . created a firm
base for Czechoslovak com-
munists to thwart the
counter-revolutionary threat to
the cause of socialism in the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.

Exploitation Ended

We have solved the principal
issues of national freedom and
state independence, social and
political rights of the working
class and the popular masses. We
have built successfully the found-
ations of socialism and entered
the stage of building an advanced
socialist society ... exploitation, —
unemployment, poverty and suf-
fering, sharp social differences,
fear of the morrow belong to the ~
past, once and for all.

An important part in the edifice
of the building of socialism is the
strengthening and deepening of
the fraternal relations between
Czechs and Slovaks, and the
minorities living in our country.

In three decades, the selfiess
work of millions of workers,
farmers, members of the intel-
ligentsia and other strata, com-
munists: and non-party people,
Czechs, Slovaks and members of
nationality groups, older and
younger. generations, women and
youth, have given rise to an edifice
which implements in a dignified
way the bequest of victorious
February 1948.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—May 12, 1978—Page 9