Canada PM Soviet visit marks shift Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s visit to the Soviet Union marked some significant movement on Canada-Soviet relations and disarmament issues — but the government is still tied to the confines of U.S. policy and has yet to strike an independent course in its relations with the USSR. Mulroney told the Commons Monday following his return from the five-day visit that changes in the USSR and the socialist countries are taking place at such a pace that it is “overwhelming our capacity to assess the transformations we witness.” But the visit opened the door on “immensely more fruitful relations” with the USSR at a time when the world is mov- ing away from confrontation, he said. Mulroney also acknowledged as part ofa seven-page declaration signed by the PM and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev that events had forced him to reassess the confrontationist, cold war position the government took in its 1987 white paper on defence. That paper was put out “as a position of our beliefs (at the time),”” Mulroney said in Moscow Nov. 21. “(But) “there’s been a revolution that’s taken place in thinking, in the lives of nations in the last month. Times change, events change and attitudes have to be tempered.” The PM also expressed the hope during his speech to the Commons that the visit contributed to “the building of a more durable international peace, the most important legacy our generation can pass on to our children.” But Mulroney was far behind the Cana- dian people in making that re-assessment and light years behind the disarmament movement in this country which has pressed the government for three years to use the opportunities for arms reductions and improved international relations afford- ed by Gorbachev’s peace initiatives. In his Commons speech, Mulroney echoed the prevailing U.S. view as he cauti- oned: “It should be remembered that the Soviet Union retains enormous conven- tional and strategic forces.” In both instan- ces, however, the USSR has offered major cuts and proposals for eliminating any threat that might be perceived from arms imbalances. The most significant omission from Mul- roney’s visit was any substantive Canadian response to the Soviet proposals for creating a “zone of peace” | in the Arctic, even though the agree- mentonthe Arctic } would have pro- vided an_ ideal opportunity for Canadian leader- ship in moving towards de-mili- tarization of the northern region. The PM reit- erated the US. position that any reduction of military activity in the Arctic must be discussed as part of an overall agenda of arms control with NATO allies — effectively subordinating Cana- dian sovereignty in the Arctic to U.S. stra- tegic aims. Still, the 14 agreements that were signed were of historic importance and covered a wide range of co-operative activity, includ- ing work on the environment in the north, technical and scientific exchanges and trade. The 240-member delegation of business representatives which travelled with Mul- roney took part in the founding of the Canada-Soviet Business Council and signed some seven major joint ventures totalling some $1 billion, according to the PM’s report to the Commons. The establishment MULRONEY of a new Canadian consulate in Kiev and the possibility of a Soviet consulate in Toronto are also the result of the tour. The Gorbachev-Mulroney declaration, considered the main achievement of. the trip, lays out the basis for what Mulroney called a “new beginning” in Canada-Soviet relations, based on the consolidation of peace and security, renunciation of war as a means of national policy, settlement of =< regional conflicts by peaceful means and nations’ right to self-determina- tion. It also states the two countries’ support for “an early conclusion to negotiations on 50 per cent cuts in the stra- tegic offensive arms of the U.S. and the USSR; agreement at the Vienna talks on specific steps lead- ing to the reduction of conventional armed forces and the strengthening of confidence- and security-building measures in Europe; limitation of nuclear testing; further streng- thening of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; and an early agreement on a global, comprehensive and verifiable ban on, and elimination of, chemical weapons.” Speaking to the reception of Mulroney at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Soviet Prime Min- ister Nikolai Ryzhkov said that the visit had contributed to the new co-operative trend in international relations but added that the two countries had ‘“‘a long way to go yet. In.any event, he said, “the people in both our countries have come to realize that the time for words is over and it is now time for action.” GORBACHEV ‘A turning point in relations’ The visit of the first Canadian prime min- ister to the Soviet Union for 18 years yielded impressive results — more agreements signed than in the preceding 20 years of Soviet-Canadian relations and the forma- tion of a Soviet-Canadian business council to promote economic and trade relations between the two countries. i Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard She- vardnadze called the visit “an intellectual and political breakthrough into a new, interdependent world which has left behind the debris of the cold war, and looks to the future with hope.” Mulroney was interviewed by Novosti correspondent Sergei Dukhanov: Dukhanov: Prime Minister, how would you describe the main political outcome of your visit to the USSR? Mulroney: Well. I think President Gor- bachev and Foreign Minister Shevardnadze described this visit as a major turning point in our relations. This is probably the atti- tude that I share. It brought about concrete, tangible matters that improved relations and mutual perceptions. It also allowed for the development of very good personal rela- tions between the leaders of our two coun- tries. That’s all very good. Dukhanov: Has your stay in this country in any way affected your personal perception of the Soviet Union? Mulroney: My perception of the Soviet Union is of course affected by meetings we’ve had, not only in Moscow, but in Kiev and in Leningrad. I met with party leaders there and tried to make sure that ... I understood. the political implications of what was going on in some important areas 6 Pacific Tribune, December 4, 1989 - of your national life. There are serious prob- lems that the party and the government have to come to terms with .... I was very interested in getting as broadly-based an opinion as I could about the kinds of oppo- sition that Gorbachev is encountering and how tough that opposition really was. And so, in a dozen different way I personally — and my colleagues who are with me, (External Affairs Minister Joe) Clark and his associates — we all benefitted greatly from all the dif- ferent, excellent meetings that were held. Dukhanov: Prime Minister, you talked to the Soviet leadership about European affairs, among other things. Could you tell us whether Canada and the Soviet Union will build the “common European home” together? Mulroney: Well, I think that clearly the future of the Soviet Union is very closely tied to developments in Europe, both in western Europe and Common Market, and the revolutionary thinking and changing attitudes that are going on in eastern Europe. In fact, much of the inspiration for the reforms going on throughout eastern Europe comes directly from President Gor- bachev. Now, as the Europeans themselves tend to build this larger European space, then clearly you will see an increase in trade, an increase in the infusion of technology, an increase of investment and a relative increase in individual prosperity. Because at the end of the day you would not want to have a Europe divided according to eco- nomic terms — say, one rich and one poor — any more than it is advisable to have a Europe that would be divided strictly along military terms. I believe that’s what President Gorba- chev is talking about, I think that’s what his vision of Europe in a longer perspective is, and to that extent Canada shares these wishes for greater prosperity and greater freedom, and greater unity among all Europeans. Dukhanov: A large group of Canadian bus- inessmen has arrived with you. Are you sure that their mission will be a success? And if you are, what makes you sure of that? Mulroney: (Prime Minister Nikolai) Ryzhkov and I met with the Canadian bus- iness delegation, over 240 Canadian busi- nessmen who arrived in Moscow — the largest delegation that we’ve ever had. While they were there, they signed joint- venture arrangements in excess of $1 billion — with many more to come. Now, that’s a remarkable vote of confidence in Gorbachev and what he is doing. It will be everything — from restaurants to paper mills — and that means new equity investments, that means new tech- nology, that means precisely new jobs for Soviet citizens, new opportunities for Soviet youth, and that’s the way to build a strong economy. : - And itis up to Canada and industrialized countries like Canada to respond to the invitation. President Gorbachev is not say- ing to the West: “The Soviet Union needs any aid or just any assistance.” He is not saying that. What he is saying is that the Soviet Union is open to new ideas, to new technologies, to new investments, to joint ventures. So he is saying to the West: “Come and join us in the development of this great nation.” And I think it’s impor- tant that countries like Canada respond ACROSS — CANADA Canadians go hungry The first one was started in Edmonton in 1981 as a “temporary” measure. Today there are-180 food banks across the country and they feed 378,000 Cana- dians a month, almost half of them child- ~ ren. A survey released by the Canadian Association of Food Banks last week said almost 40 per cent of food bank users are children, even though children make up only 26 per cent of Canada’s population. ~ “It’s an alarming statistic that, I hope, still has the power to shock,” said Gerard Kennedy, head of Toronto’s Daily Food Bank. In Toronto the association now dis- tributes the same amount of food in one week as it did when it opened in 1984. Unemployment, social service cuts and regressive taxation are the main cul- prits behind urban poverty, said Kennedy. Social assistance payments and the minimum wage in every province leaves recipients living in poverty. In Saskat- chewan and Newfoundland, one-quarter of all children live in poverty. Farmers storm Parliament Thousands of Quebec and Ontario farmers converged on Parliament Hill Nov. 21 in an angry demonstration pro- testing the government’s cutting of farm programs. The cuts to farm subsidies, rail service, and storage fees have been made to comply with U.S. demands under the Free Trade Agreement. Angry farmers beat effigies of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and agricultu- ral minister Don Mazankowski. Appear- ing before the crowd, Mazankowski had to shout above the jeers, as he invited farmers to “join the real world” of agri- cultural trading. Missionaries return home Two Canadian relief workers returned from El Salvador say the Canadian government should reconsider its multi- million dollar aid package to that coun- try. Rev. Brian Rude, 33, a Lutheran minister, and Karen Ridd, a 28-year-old peace worker, returned to Canada last week after being released by government troops. Rude, a Calgary native, said Canadian aid, while not going directly to the government, has served to give legiti- macy to the regime of Alfredo Cristiani. “The types of organizations that are being assisted may not necessarily be the most needy segment of the population in EI! Salvador,” said Rude, who ran an orphanage outside the capital of San Salvador. . Both Ridd and Rude spent a night in jail, blindfolded and handcuffed. Ridd was repeatedly struck through her ordeal. ' Meanwhile, as the government warned foreign aid and church workers to leave the country, three members of the Jesuit Centre for Peace and Justice in Toronto flew to San Salvador last week following the grisly murders of six Jesuit priests and two women in the city’s university.