RSZRP Re sR esate RAS Se ble po E2R5> ight’s celebration is part of eee celebrations of the Great October Socialist Revo- tion, a revolution which trans- a ad Tsarist Russia, brought end to the prison of nations ve opened the door to a new eoatem of society in which ex- sjoitation of man by man was P t to an end. That revolution : the same time ushered in a F era for mankind. Imperial- ‘abil ceased to be the only system Peeing in the world. Alongside nd, competing with it was 4 . land of socialism, which acted as a powerful point of at- traction for the working people of the capitalist world, the peo- ples oppressed by imperialism in the colonial world. The Great October Revolution gave an im- etus to the transition - from capitalism to socialism and com- ‘munism on a world-wide scale. It is useful to remind our- selves that the first act of the young socialist republic was to withdraw from the imperialist ‘war and adopt the Decree on Peace. “Peace to the Peoples! it proclaimed. It called for a just and democratic peace, an end to the imperialist slaughter. That Decree of Peace became a pow- erful factor in stimulating the peoples in the capitalist coun- tries and in bringing an end to the imperialist slaughter. What it established clearly and un- equivocally was that socialism and peace are synonymous. This indeed has been the landmark of the Soviet Union since 1917 — its consistent and continuing struggle for peace and for peace- ful coexistence of states with different social systems, linked with support to the people’s ‘liberation fight everywhere. As we know the Soviet Union fought for these principles and for collective security in the inter-war years. It strove to unite the peoples and govern- ments against the menace of fascism. It fought the Munich- eers who sold out their own countries and world peace. And even during the difficult days of the second world war, the Soviet Union strove might and main -not only to defeat fascism, _which it did, but to create the conditions for a post-war world worl ag in which peace and _ security could prevail. Cold War Fails We are also aware of the post-war period when U.S. im- perialism took over the mantle of world domination and: strove to crush socialism. ‘Atomic dip- lomacy,” “roll back of commun- ism,” “the policy of contain- ment,” “the position of strength” policy, all these dressings of the cold war were unleashed with the aim of eliminating the Soviet Union and other socialist coun- tries by force. Anti-Sovietism and anti-communism, these were the ideological weapons used to brainwash the peoples and drag them into this crusade against the Soviet Union. As we know, these policies failed. The Soviet Union smash- ed atomic diplomacy. The heroic Vietnamese people, backed by the socialist countries and the peoples of the world, compelled U.S, imperialism to retreat. The socialist countries grew in eco- nomic, political and _ military strength. Colonial empires dis- ‘integrated. Instead of the social- ist world being faced with crisis, U.S. imperialism was compelled to recognize that it was faced with a crisis of its foreign pol- icy. All these and other factors have brought on a new Situation making international detente possible. : International detente has be- gun to replace the cold war. More solid security has begun -to replace policies aimed at elimin- ating socialism by force. If the world can now breathe easier, thanks are due to the Soviet Union, to the majority of social- ist countries which have persist- ently fought for peaceful co- ’ existence of states with differ- ing social systems. Congress of the The 24th Communist Party of the Soviet Union will ~ go down in history as that Con-. gress which adopted the Peace Program and undertook the peace offensive, which was taken up by the peoples of the _ world and now is bearing fruit. What has made the process of detente possible is the changing relationship between socialism and the forces of. peace and pro- gress on one hand and the ex- ponents of cold war and the arms race on the other. This change in the relation- ship of forces has been stimul- ated further by growing inter- imperialist contradictions, by the dollar crisis: and sharpening trade.conflicts between the ca- pitalist countries, These, _ too, have become factors in the direc- tion of international detente. What has further stimulated this progress is the growing energy crisis in the USA, indeed the crisis of natural resources in the entire capitalist world. These are permanent, not tem- porary factors and show that international detente ‘has good prospects. Return to the Past However, it would be folly to close one’s eyes to the fact that alongside the process of detente, the cold warriors who Oppose peaceful coexistence want to re- vert to policies of confrontation. These forces are moving heaven _and earth to nullify the agree- ments arrived at or to hinder their implementation, as in mat- ters of trade. They shave stepped up the ideological offensive against socialism around the so- called thesis of “freedom of movement and ideas.” They con- tinue to push the arms race based on a bankrupt “positions of strength” policy. They under- take, as President Nixon did, the organization of a military alert and the equipment of airplanes with nuclear weapons, aimed at intimidating the Arab peoples and the Soviet Union. : These show the complicated and contradictory aspects of the situation. What it emphasizes is that peace is not yet assured, and that neither -peace nor detente will come by itself. It must be fought for every inch of the way, day in and day out by a powerful people’s movement. As comrade Brezhnev correct- ly stated at the World Congress of Peace Forces, “As we in the Soviet Union see it, the task is to turn the detente achieved in the -decisive areas of interna- tional relations into \a stable, durable, and what is more, an irreversible factor.” This historic task which the Soviet Union has set itself at this stage is likewise the task cf all peace-loving peoples throughout the world, including Canada, Unequivecal Stand The Middle East is an import- ant area of the struggle between the forces of peace and libera- tion and the forces of imperial- ism and war. The .charfging relationship of forces internationally, the de- tente between the USA and USSR, the changing relationship of forces in the Middle East it- self, the growing unity of the Arab peoples, their correct util- ization of oil as an instrument in the struggle for a just settle- ment, all these have finally brought about cease-fire. How- ever, the cease-fire is only the first step to a peace settlement. It is not in itself a peace settle- ment... 56 years gle for and Socialism Two conditions are necessary to achieve a lasting peace. First, the withdrawal of Israel from occupied territory. Secondly, the assurance of the legitimate rights of the Arab peoples of Palestine. If these two condi- tions are not realized there will be no peace in the Middle East. These two inter-related ques- tions are the crux and heart of a just and durable peace, linked as they are at the same time to the right of all states and peo- ples to exist behind secure borders. ; The Soviet Union has shown, throughout, its consistent sup- port for the just cause of the Arab people and the struggle for liberation. It has backed this up by various forms of solidarity support which has helped change the relationship of forces in the Middle East. The efforts of imperialism to exclude the Soviet Union and the progres- ‘sive forces in the Middle East, have proved bankrupt. This is a great source of strength to the Arab people in working to real- ize a just settlement. Again to quote comrade Brezhnev: “Our firm stand is that all States and peoples in the Miadle East — I repeat, all of them — must be assured of peace, security and the inviol- ability of borders. The Soviet Union is prepzred to take part in the relevant guarantees.” This clear, unequivocal stand ef the USSR with respect to the crisis‘in the Middle East cont- rasts sharply with the equivocal stand of the Canadian Govern- ment. It has shown that-it is far from. neutral, siding with U.S. imperialism and, as Pre- mier Golda Meir aptly called it, “the American asset in the Mid- ‘dle East” — Israel. This em- phasizes the need to press for acoption of UN Security Coun- cil Resolution No. 242. For Internaticnal Detente. Turning the international de- tente into an irreversible factor. also means turning Europe into a region of lasting peace and security. It means compelling the U.S. government and _ its puppet Thieu government in South Vietnam to abide by the Paris Peace Treaties. It means extending political detente to military detente and beginning a process towards a real, not imaginary, reduction of arms, above all nuclear weapons, the achievement of nuclear disar- mament based on equality of security of all countries. It means extending detente to the entire world, making the prin- ciples of peaceful coexistence a standard of relations along all states. Collective security in Europe, collective security in Asia — these are the necessary ingredients for a durable and lasting peace in the world. Not least, making detente an irreversible factor requires the unity of all anti-imperialist forces, all peace-loving forces in the world. The Soviet Union and ‘the socialist countries are at the centre of the struggle for peace and peaceful coexistence. Maoist Intrigue In contrast to this noble role of the Soviet Union and other socialist states is the dangerous anti-Leninist, anti-socialist, anti- Soviet line of the Maoists. In- stead of supporting detente they oppose it and try to undermine it. They claim they are for peaceful: coexistence while in fact they undermine the inter- national positions of the social- ist countries, the main force striving for peaceful coexist- ence. They say they are for dis- armament while placing road- blocks in the way of its achieve- ment. They declare themselves in support of the just struggle of the Arab people while doing everything in their power to discredit the real assistance given the Arab countries by the USSR and other socialist coun- tries. They say they are revolu- tionaries while shaking the hands of the military junta in Chile. No matter how one slices it, the fact remains that the foreign policy of the Chinese leaders leads to collusion with the most reactionary circles of imperial- ism. What is evident is that from a posture of “leftism”, the Chin- ese leaders have moved over to the right, acting as a divisive factor and opponent of detente. In sharp contrast is the calm, clear, just and flexible foreign policy of the Soviet Union. That policy is a class and socialist policy which links the fight for peace and security with the peo- ple’s liberation fight, and creates more favorable condi- tions for the peoples every- where in their struggle for democratic advance, progress, independence and socialism. For Peace and Scscialism For 56 years the Soviet Union has stood out as the champion of péace and socialism. Through- cut all the different conditions of the struggle imposed on it by imperialism, it has remained true to this banner. And it will continue so to do. In these past 56 years there has also taken place a sharpen- ing contrast between the grow- ing strength and stability of the USSR and the socialist coun- tries, and the instability charac- teristic of the capitalist world. In these years the Soviet people, under the leadership of the ._Communist Party have carried out tremendous economic trans- formations. They have built a ceveloped socialist society, which increasingly reflects its superiority over capitalism. How far they have advanced can be seen in the following summary by Erich Honecker: “When the Russian workers and peasants, led by the Party of Lenin in 1917 burst open the gates to socialism in the Great October Socialist Revolution, the share of this first socialist state in total world ‘industrial production was less than 3%. “Twenty years later, two years prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, when the Soviet people had success- e Continued on page 10 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1973—PAGE 9