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CHILE’S COMMUNISTS ATTACK JUNTA’S DRAFT ‘CONSTITUTION’ _ MEXICO CITY — The Communist Party of Chile (PCC) has at-

_ tacked the new draft constitution drawn up by Chile’s fascist junta. Ina Statement released here, the Chilean Communists described the move as one aimed at. ‘‘institutionalizing fascism in power.”

The PCC statement is being circulated secretly inside Chile and says.

: the draft constitution ‘“‘wipes out all political, social and economic ; Tights of the Chilean people,”’ defines.as ‘‘terrorist’’ anyone opposed to ’ the junta and strips them of all human rights, abrogates copper industry nationalization of the 1970-73 period and virtually outlaws all strikes.

NICARAGUAN MEDIATION TALKS COLLAPSE

MANAGUA — Nicaragua’s anti-dictatorship coalition “Group of 12” walked out of U.S. sponsored “mediation” talks in Managua last week. Father Miguel D’Escoto, and five other members of the ‘“Group of 12” delegation immediately took refuge in the Mexican Embassy. He said: ‘‘We have pulled out because we realized that the mediation team was trying to force us to accept a political program which did not entirely involve the ouster of Somoza and this we cannot accept.’”. D Escoto said the mediation team; which includes a U.S. member, was stalling for time for Somoza, “‘or at least to impose on Nicaragua a docile government to the U.S. liking.”

U.S. BUSINESSMAN CALLS FOR MORE U.S.-USSR TRADE MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. and USSR, despite ideological differ- €nces, should develop mutually beneficial trade in every form, R. Schmidt, first vice-president of Control Data, told TASS, the Soviet news agency, in an interview here.

Schmidt rejected views that trade with the USSR benefits it alone, or more than the U.S. ‘‘We have long been convinced,” he said, ‘‘that the Soviet Union is ahead of the U.S. ina whole number of areas of science and technology. Exchange of technology, technical documentation, 1s now only one part of our mutually-beneficial and mutually-enriching relations with the USSR.”

VIETNAM CHARGES MORE BORDER VIOLATIONS BY CHINA

-HANOI — Vietnam’s newspaper Nhan Dan, has charged that China had sent thousands of men across its border “to destroy economic and defence establishments.’’ Nhan Dan said that in recent months, China had deliberately and systematically violated Vietnam’s air space, ter- ritory and waters. ‘“‘These acts of provocation and sabotage have become more and more serious.”

CIVIL WAR ATMOSPHERE IN PORTUGAL SAYS CUNHAL —

LISBON — Portugal’s Communist Party leader, Alvaro Cunhal has accused the caretaker non-party government of prime minister Nobre de Costa of creating a “‘civil war’’ atmosphere in the country’s Alentejo grain belt.

Cunhal said it was scandalous that a government defeated in parlia- ment should carry out the policy of the big landowners by handing back collectivized land to its previous owners. New clashes were reported at

‘a collective farm near Porta Legre, 150 miles east of Lisbon. Com-

munists charge that Republican Guards used batons and police dogs against workers demonstrating against the return of the land.

COMMUNIST ELECTED HEAD OF COALITION GOVERNMENT

KERALA — P.K. Vesudevan Nair, a leading member of the Com-

_. munist Party, was sworn in as head of a five-party coalition govern-

ment in this southern Indian state. Other parties represented in the government are the official Congress Party, the regional Kerala Con- gress Party, the Muslim League and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

POPULAR FRONT SCORES VICTORIES IN GREECE ATHENS — Greece’s Popular Front. has won the elections for

_” -mayors in Athens and Piraeus. In Athens the PF candidate won 57.28%

of the vote against a candidate of the ruling New Democracy Party. In

Piraeus the PF candidate polled 53.43% of the vote against a sym- pathizer of the previous military junta. The Popular Front was formed by all opposition parties, including the Communist Party.

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Members of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship. Association marched in Tokyo to build support for flood relief for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Southeast Asia has been hit by devastating floods and the Japanese group is doing its share to raise funds for aid.

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The key problem for women is the question of children

By TOM MORRIS

TORONTO — Dr. Surjeet Kaur, a representative of the Women’s International Democra- tic Federation (WIDF) was inter- viewed by the press here Oct. 31 and spoke about the activities of that organization in its work for women’s and-children’s better- ment the world over.

The WIDF, with its headquar- | ters in Berlin, GDR, groups some 129 organizations from 110 coun- tries. It is a member of the advis- ory Committee’ of Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the Un- ited Nations. ;

“I came to Canada to represent the WIDF at the 12th Convention of the Congress of Canadian Wo- men’, Dr. Kaur began. ‘The WIDF”, she continued, “‘is a broad, democratic organization which has for many years worked on behalf of women and children, for social justice, equality and peace. :

‘We were instrumental, through our work with the UN, in the proclamation by the UN in 1975 of International Women’s Year around the slogan ‘For Peace, Development and Prog- ress’. We were also the main force behind the tremendous con- ference held in Berlin that year and participated in the Mexico City meeting which declared 1975-1985 Decade for Women.

“Following the Berlin meet- ing,” Dr. Kaur continued, “it was decided.that»akey»problem.for women everywhere, regardless of their situation or career was the question of children. The United Nations in 1976 proclaimed 1979

‘to be the ‘Year of the Child’ and

that the widest possible work must be done to include

everyone, women and men, inits .

re tions. 2 The Decade for Women Committee gave primary impor- tance to this. An international committee to prepare ‘ITYC 1979’ now includes women’s, youth and teachers’ organizations, churches, trade union and student bodies. It has begun its work, but remains open for others to join

‘and become active.”

Dr. Kaur explained that four working groups have been set up, with the following guidelines:

1. Rights of the Child: which covers economic, social and legal rights;

2. Education: types of educa- tion, media, leisure time methods,

etc.; : 3. Children Under Apartheid, Colonial and Fascist Regimes; 4. Handicapped Children. “The first group met in Mos- cow in September. Group two

4 ! will meet Nov. 6-8 in London; |

group three Nov. 20-23 in Algiers and group four in December in Conakry, Guinea,” she said.

‘The findings of these working groups will then be presented to the world congress on the Year of the Child to be held in Moscow in the fall of 1979.””

Dr. Kaur told the press that IYC is urgently needed “‘because

_ most countries do not observe the

provisions of the United Nations’ Declaration of Children’s Rights adopted 20 years ago by the world body. In many parts of the globe the very lives of children are threatened,”’ she said. ‘‘Children

are the first victims of the war in Lebanon, of Israeli policy in oc- cupied Palestine, in apartheid

South Africa and in fascist Chile ©

and Uruguay.

‘‘We want aggression and in- tervention ended. We want the arms race stopped. We want at least 10% of the arms budget cut

and the money to go to projects in 2

developing countries to help chil- dren.”

Dr. Kaur explained that the 2 WIDF within its consultative | status to the UN has already 2

begun studies of the conditions of

children and will submit the re- y

sults of these studies to the UN

bodies responsible for coordinat- =

ing LYC.

‘“‘The WIDF’’, she pointed out, ‘thas organized two seminars al- ready. One in Prague to study the conditions of children in Europe and the second in Delhi to investi- gate the conditions under which Asian children live. We plan simi- lar study seminars in 1979 for Af- rica and Latin America to take place in Madagascar and Argenti- na.”

In other areas, Dr. Kaur told of the WIDF initiative, which re- ceived UN support, for the set- ting up of children’s camps in

-Palestine and Tanzania where or-

phans and children of victims of aggression are cared for.

Dr. Surjeet Kaur, representative of the Women’s International Democratic Federation at press conference.

She also said that the WIDF will participate in the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the UN Human Rights Commission next year and has nominated Horten- sia Allende, widow of the mar- tyred Chilean president Salvador Allende, to receive a UN medal honoring her as a foremost fighter for human rights.

Dr. Kaur, a university profes- sor in Lucknow, represents at the WIDF the 500,000-member Na- tional Federation of Indian Wo- men.

Awarding Nobel Peace Prize to Begin, Sadat is ‘a shameful act’

By FILS DELISLE

Tribune Berlin Correspondent

BERLIN — The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Israeli prime minister Manachim Begin and Egyptian president Anwar , Sadat is ‘‘a shameful act’’ that brings discredit to those who -made the decision. That was the expert opinion given the Tribune this week by Hans Lebrecht, internationally-known anti- fascist fighter, veteran journalist and member of the Central Com- mittee of the Israeli Communist Party. i.

Lebrecht, whom Begin impris- oned earlier this year because of his exposure of Begin’s separate peace moves with Sadat and pres- ident Carter, told me during a visit to Berlin: ‘“‘It is precisely Begin who is the most important of our right-wing expansionist leaders. He has spent his political life propagating a so-called “Greater Israel’ that goes beyond the pre- sent borders of the country. Dur- ing the one and a half years of his premiership he has demonstrated that his intentions with regard to peace have never changed. They are: the imposition of a militarily dictated peace on the Arabs.

‘‘He has never recognized — and does not recognize today — the very existence of the Palesti- nian nation and its national rights. He stands firmly on the illegal claim that Israel includes the whole of Palestine. ‘Six months ago he invaded Lebanon, which cost the lives of thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of Lebanese villages. He continued

to interfere in Lebanon by extend- ing massive military support to the Lebanese fascist Falange and other rightist groups. He there-

‘fore shares responsibility for the

bloodshed in Lebanon.

“Begin and his government participate in the anti-peace initia- tives of presidents Carter and Sadat, which are aimed at tor- pedoing the Geneva Peace Con- ference, though the latter was al- ready agreed upon. The Camp David and the subsequent Washington talks are not in- tended to bring a real and just peace to the Middle East but to bring about a ‘Pax Americana’ which will impose the USA’s aims on the area.

‘*Begin, for his part,goes along with this because it serves his own expansionist aims. He is prepared — as were the preceding Social Democratic governments — to give up the Egyptian Sinai and to make peace with Egypt on the condition that Egypt recog- nizes Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. ;

“The aim of U.S. imperialism

at the so-called peace talks is to create a military bloc of Egypt, Israel and other reactionary Mid- dle East governments as an ex- tension of NATO against the Arab and African liberation movements and against the southern flank of the USSR. ‘‘For a man with such an ad- venturist, warmongering policy to receive the Nobel Prize is not only an act of cynicism but an insult to world public opinion.”’

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—November 10, 1978—Page 11

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