Socialist Pane members celebrated in Madrid, April 11 as early re- turns showed the left to be making significant gains. BIG LEFT GAINS IN SPANISH CIVIC ELECTIONS MADRID — The Communists and Socialist together captured:72% ofall mayorality seats in Spain’s recent civic elections, including a Socialist mayor of Madrid — the first Socialist mayor in the capital since the Civil War. Communists are now mayors of 176 Spanish cities and towns. GRENADA ESTABLISHES DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH CUBA ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada — The People’s Revolutionary govern- ment of premier Maurice Bishop and the government of Cuba have established diplomatic relations it was announced here April 8. A communique released in both capitals named Ivan Cesar Martinez as Cuba’s ambassador to Grenada and Barbados: WALDHEIM BEGINS MONTH-LONG TOUR OF FAR EAST UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim has - begun a four week tour of the Far East which will take him to North and South Korea, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. He is expected to push for a settlement of the China- Vietnam conflict. This news accompanies reports that China and Viet- nam have begun talks in Hanoi in the aftermath of China’s invasion of Vietnam. Vietnam has opened the talks with a proposal for a demilitarized zone on the Chinese-Vietnam border and a speedy exchange of prisoners of war. Vietnam also stated that China still maintains troops at 10 points inside Vietnamese territory and called for the pulling back of both armies three miles from each side of the border. NEW GOVERNMENT FORMED IN UGANDA KAMPALA — A new provisional government was formed here April 12 which named Yussufu Lule as president, defence minister and armed forces chief following the capture of Kampala by combined Tanzanian and Ugandan troops. The capital fell after two weeks of fighting which is still going on in the north of the country. Former president Amin’s whereabouts at press time is still unknown. JAMAICAN PREMIER ON VISIT TO SOVIET UNION MOSCOW — Jamaican premier Michael ,Manley met with top Soviet leaders in which both sides noted the contribution made by the socialist and non-aligned states to the anti-imperialist and anti- colonialist struggle. Manley, speaking at a reception in Re honor praised the roles of the USSR and Cuba in Africa: ‘‘We in Jamaica applaud the support which is given by the Soviet Union to the liberation armies of the Patriotic Front of Zimbabwe. That is why we have been uncompromising in our belief that the heroic people of Cuba and the Soviet Union have rendered an invaluable service to humanity by saving Angola from racist South Africa — and even now keep pale safe from further racist and imperialist designs,”’ he said. Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley (centre) is accompanied by Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin (right) as gee left Moscow, April 11 for some sightseeing in the USSR. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 27, 1979—Page 6 ‘Thousands of pro-Shah forces at work in fran’ United front call by Communists Iran’s Communists are calling for a united front. ranging ‘‘from the left of Ayatollah Khomeini to the Tudeh (Communist) Party.”’ In a recent interview in Berlin with the French Communist paper Humanite, Noureddine Kianouri, the new general sec- retary of the Tudeh (People’s) Party said: “Don’t imagine that the reac- tionary forces have been dis- armed. For example, 8,000 SAVAK agents have gone into hiding. They are in touch with each other and are organizing ‘themselves. They have weapons, money and documents to avoid getting caught. ‘‘We also know that officers loyal to the Shah have formed secret groups. Foreign intel- ligence services — U.S. and West European — are also active. If the time came, they wouldn’t hesi- tate 3.5 ‘‘Against these dangers the Communists propose that all the revolutionary and democratic forces join together to form a ‘united front of the people for the destruction of foreign military bases, the elimination of the polit- ical and economic influence of imperialism, as well as the elimi- nation of the surviving forces of reaction’.”” Rifts Emerging Such a union would involve those from the left of Khomeini to Kampuchean execution squads He is 23 years old and was a member of a Kampuchean execution squad which butch- ered hundreds of people. Sao Hem says his squad killed their victims with spades, shovels and hatchets. Seventeen-year-old Chum Bxn was a member of another squad. “I and my colleagues must have killed hundreds,”’ he said, ‘“‘....we were told they were enemies of Kam- puchea.”’ Both men are today under- going rehabilitation in a deten- tion centre in Phnom Penh along with hundreds of others. There must have been many of these ‘‘squads’’ because the new government has revealed that three million Kampu- cheans were slain in the three years of Pol Pot’s rule. In the March 27 Tribune, Alfred Dewhurst’s column told about a ‘‘Democratic Kam- puchea Support Committee’’ being -hammered together under the auspices of Dr. James Endicott and his ‘‘Far Eastern Newsletter’. De- whurst charged that this so- called committee ‘‘is a back- door attempt to rally support for the Chinese invasion of Vietnam.” On April 2, Dr. Endicott cir- _ Culated a ‘*Reply to Mr. Alfred Dewhurst and the Canadian Tribune’’ which, aside from guage, attempts to prove that 1.) Vietnam invaded Kam- puchea with 125,000 troops: 2.) that China had every justi- fication to attack Vietnam: 3.) that China has justification to attack Vietnam again; International focus using the most strident lan- . the Tudeh Party. ‘‘ While it was a question of .overthrowing the Shah’s regime the differences among the followers of Khomeni were confused. But now that it’s a question of choosing a new direc- tion, rifts are emerging. “Broadly, there are three ten- dencies among the religious people. ‘‘First, the most democratic tendency, which was also the most militant. This is represented by the Moujahaddin ‘El-Khalk’ (the people’s fighters). “Second, that of Khomeini himself, in the centre. These people are sensitive to popular pressure but:are not open to the ideas of the modern world. “Third, a reactionary tenden- cy, whose ambition was to trans- form the Shah’s regime into a constitutional monarchy. National Front “‘On top of these are other divi- sions: between the laity and the religious — and, within the Na- ‘tional Front (Iran’s most estab- lished mainstream opposition par- ty) between groups of left intel- lectuals and the Moslems. “Finally, of course, the opposi- tion between the popular classes and the bourgeoisie is becoming more open, with the bourgeois class itself divided between those linked to the international monopolies and those whose in- terests are more national. and is still more peasant thang ur ‘It is clear that certain people, in Iran and outside, are making big efforts to put.a stop to the revolution — and to profit fromit. “To defeat all these plans we reaffirm that there is only one way — the union of all the forces ¢ progress. Tudeh Party “After its long and ternble period of clandestinity, the Tudeh Party must organize its forces. ‘Already its newspaper Mar- dom is legally published in Tehe- ran. In the factories the workers _ have got rid of the Shah appointed leaders of the ‘yellow unions’ and are setting up proper workers’ organizations. - “It must, however, be said that despite the long-standing prestige of the Tudeh, the Communists will have to struggle vigorously to organize their party and develop . their influence. They are dealing with a completely new working class, which has just been wrenched from: the countryside ban. ‘This, together with the fact that the religious opposition was the only one able to keep up real contacts among the popular mas- ses under the Shah’s repression, partly explains why the move ment has had such a deeply eS ous character.” 4.) and that claims of mas- sacres under: Pol Pot are lies. Since the liberation of Kam- puchea from Pol Pot, the new ‘government has opened the doors to foreign journalists to see for themselves the horrors perpetrated on the people by the Peking-backed: regime. These people have written stories and published photos of the most barbaric acts. Interestingly, the burden of the attack by Western governments lately has been against Vietnam. They, like James Endicott and the ‘*Democratic Kampuchea Support Committee” say the country was overrun by Viet- nam; that China was justified in ‘‘punishing’’ Vietnam. Our government has reneged on its promise to assist Vietnam in rebuilding and expelled a Viet- namese official. But despite Ottawa’s tailing after official White House pol- icy and such obvious frauds as the committee Endicott is try- ing to glue together, Pol Pot and his execution squads will not return. The people of Kampuchea under their new government fought valiantly to - oust them: and out they will stay. : New horror weapori in America’s arsenal The first of 13 Trident A-subs, each to cost $1.25-bil- lion, slid off the blocks at Gro- ton, Connecticut April 7 usher- ing in a new and deadly phase of nuclear weaponry. The subs are 560 feet long with an 18,700-ton displace- ment. They carry 24 Trident I missiles, each with a dozen warheads. According to Pen- phase of nuclear build-up, the | - istration, using the threadbare | ‘ threat’’, -by 12% per year. This money, tagon figures, the Trident will have a wider range than the older nuclear submarines, run faster and quieter giving thema — wider expansion of ocean to” hide in while still being within striking distance of sovigaa targets. This new weapon is part of a J dangerous complex which in- cludes the MX intercontinental and Cruise missiles. Despite arguments that they constitute — a higher and more complex ae amen U.S. has insisted on moving ahead. The Carter admin-— argument about a ‘‘Soviet | has rammed a } record-breaking $138.2-billion” arms‘ budget through Con- gress, expenditures which come at the expense of cut- backs in social services fog Americans. It should be recalled that NATO states have spent a mind-boggling $1,300,000-mil- lion’on arms over the past de- cade — with half of this spent in the past four years, at a time when the atmosphere has been ~ more conducive to arms and budget reductions. This drive for more money for weapons has not by-passed Canada. NATO pressure has — driven this country’s “‘defence’’ spending to more than $4-billion per year, a price tag which is scheduled to rise of course, is also diverted from badly-needed social programs. There’s another reason for Canadians to worry about Tri- dent. The West coast sub base is just 60 miles from Victoria, B.C. at. Bangor, Washington.