SELA follows

example

Anns cut in Soviet north

By FRED WEIR

MOSCOW — The USSR last week put into place yet anot plank in its comprehensive program for curbing the nuclear arms race and relieving cold war tensions, particularly in Europe. 4%

During:a state visit to Finland, Soviet politbureau membel Yegor Ligachev, made the surprising announcement that t USSR had already dismantled a large number of its medium

By A. ALARD

In a meeting at the end of Oc- tober, 26 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, members of a group known as the Economic System of Latin America (SELA) sent out a joint communique saying their foreign debt is over $370-billion, that they cannot pay it under present condi- tions, and that they recommend extending the payment of inter- ests on the income obtained from their exports. For the member countries of SELA, the total payment of these interests will be impossible if they hope to keep up with their objectives for devel- opment of the region. For these countries, only a hard political discussion between debtors and creditors will bring about a resolu- tion of the problem.

In the final communique, which was signed by states as differ- ent as Cuba and Chile, the proposal of Peruvian President Alan Garcia was taken under con- sideration — that is to create an organization of Latin American and Caribbean states without the presence of the United States. The proposal will be further examined at their next meeting and will be put into effect at the beginning of 1987.

This communique, sent out after two and a half days of meet- ings by a group of countries which are among the most debt-ridden in the world, indicated that in Latin America today there is “a grave economic situation’’ which came about as a consequence of the fall of prices of raw materials and of protectionist measures adopted by the most industrialized coun- tries. Conclusions adopted

are the hardest they have taken on the foreign debt since 1982 when Mexico decided not to keep up with its payments.

As one Peruvian diplomat said, ‘“‘the basic fact is, and we have made it perfectly clear, that it will be our capacity to keep abreast of these payments and not the de- mand of foreign banks which will determine how we act.”’ In addi- tion, the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region indicated that they intend to dis- cuss their position with industrial- ized nations during the General Assembly of the United Nations where the problems of the foreign debt was first brought up.

Last year, Peru was the first to limit its payment of interest on its debt to 10 per cent on income re- ceived from its exports, measures which have caused problems with the International Monetary Fund which has frozen the option to authorize new credits for that country. Now the banks have warned Peru that if the country

doesn’t make ‘‘a significant pay-

ment’’ of over $630-million in »

back interest payments, they will not resume negotiations of their external debt.

Peruvian vice-minister of Eco- nomics, Gustavo Saberbein, said that his country cannot make this ‘‘significant payment’? demanded by these private creditors who are now looking.at the possibility of dissolving a bank committee which will permit the creditors to bring Peru to trial.

Brazil, the world’s top debtor nation, decided last July to cut its payments to 2.5 per cent of its gross national product. Mexico, another large debtor, will receive

‘renewed credit of $6-billion from

the banks, bringing its foreign debt to more than $100-billion. The re-negotiation of the Mexican debt package is part of the so- called U.S. ‘‘Baker Plan’’ which involves the contribution of addi- tional resources from banks and international organizations to the debtor countries so they can keep

region.

same regions.

facilitate the peace process.

range nuclear launchers in the northwest of the country. This unilateral step, he said, was taken in hopes of opening ne door toward achieving a nuclear-weapons free zone in the Baltic

Gone are all medium-range nuclear weapons from the Kola Peninsula (which borders on Finland) and also most weapons Of similar types from the Leningrad and Baltic military districts.

In addition, Soviet authorities say they have removed sever battalions of tactical — short-range — nuclear weapons from tm

However said Ligachev, ‘‘we expect reciprocity ... so far have not seen any positive response from the United States NATO,” to numerous unilateral measures taken by the USSR

Soviet leaders say they are prepared to negotiate a nucleé weapons free zone that would extend across the whole of no ern Europe. If agreement on this concept can be reached betwee the several nations concerned, they say, the USSR will be P pared to dismantle all such weapons on corresponding SO territory, stressing that this would include withdrawal of nuc missile submarines presently in the Baltic area. =

If a nuclear weapons-free zone can be achieved in northe! Europe, it may well have a significant global impact. As a fidence-building measure, it would help enormously to rel tension in the current delicate east-west equation. It would al: serve as a model for the creation of similar nuclear weapons- zones in other parts of the world. ‘G

The World Peace Council in a Nov. 18 statement greeted latest Soviet actions and hoped that they would augment efforts of the peace forces in the Nordic countries in their fight! a nuclear weapons-free zone in northern Europe.

up with their payments and pro- grams of economic growth.

The agreement obtained by the SELA countries came about when the majority of those coun- tries had already negotiated their foreign debt individually and not as a group, a system which allows the creditor countries especially the United States to impose mammoth conditions of interest and debt payments with all the political and social ramifications which go with it.

However, in spite of the pres- sures both from the IMF and the World Bank, the agreement of the

Latin American and Carib! countries to,extend the pa of interests onthe. foreig! against income on exports 1S. haps the only way which al them as a body of nations t0' front a problem: which, 25 lined by Fidel: Castro and: Latin American leaders, d0 have prospects for a solutl The foreign debt of the © tries of SELA is impossible @ while the regulation to pile est on top of interest exists @ the same time measures taken to overcome the development of the regio

unanimously by SELA members

‘Goebbels’ remark shows right shift

From

Berlin ee ee ee Gerry ~~

van Houten| 4.

When West Germany's chancellor Kohl compared Gorbachev to Hitler’s propaganda chief Goebbels, in a News- week interview, he not only deeply of- fended the Soviets but left the West European public gaping in astonishment. As one BBC commentator put it, ‘The Soviets are rightfully angry.”

It seems Kohl has forgotten who started the war which killed 45 million people, and who, at the sacrifice of 20 million lives, liberated Europe from fas- cism. He also seems to have forgotten where most of the constructive sugges- tions for securing world peace are com- ing from and whose Star Wars program caused the breakdown of the Reykjavik - summit.

But has Kohl forgotten? Is he, as some maintain, a bit stupid when it comes to international diplomacy?

When Reagan visited the FRG three years ago, Kohl, despite widespread in-

8 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, NOVEMBER 26, 1986

ternational criticism, brought his reac- tionary soul-mate to the Bitzberg cemet- ery to honor imperialist Germany's war dead, including Nazi SS officers. FRG government officials regularly speak to meetings of various revanchist groups who dream of re-establishing the Third Reich to include the GDR and parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia and the USSR.

Communists Arrested

Recent months have also seen a stepped-up attack on democratic rights by the Kohl government, most recently during the October municipal elections in Lower Saxony where several persons campaigning for the German Communist Party (DKP) were fired.

In Bavaria, Franz-Josef Strauss, first minister of this state and Vice Chancellor in the Kohl government, has personally led the attack against the DKP and its press. The DKP’s city committee chair- man and Unsere Zeit’s press spokesman were both arrested, and after a few days in jail, released. Strauss attempted to muzzel the DKP’s newspaper, ostensi- bly because it revealed his past Nazi connections.

The real reason for this persecution, -

however, can be found in the DKP’s ef- fort to achieve unity of the parties to the left of the Kohl government. And the value of such unity could be proven in the Oct. 12 Bavarian state vote where the

Green Party and the Peace List, in which the DKP plays a very active and open role, formed an electoral alliance which succeeded in breaking through the five per cent vote threshold required to win seats in a state or federal parliament. The alliance elected 15, including two mem- bers of the peace list.

Straus’ party lost seats and votes, but the biggest losers were the social demo- crats (SDP) who continue to pursue their go-it-alone policy. SDP sectarianism led to huge losses in the Hamburg state elec- tion Nov. 9 where, for the first time in 30 years, Kohl’s Christian Democratic Union won the plurality of seats and vot- es. The big winners were again the par- ties on the left other than the SDP, this time the Greens in alliance with the alter- native list.

SPD Sectarianism

Kohl is clearly counting on the sec- tarianism of the SDP to assure him a victory on Jan. 25. As Kohl sees it, he now needs to strengthen his support from the right and Gorbachev provided a convenient target.

Kohl’s ‘Goebbels’? remark came from a government which is increasing its military expenditures and attacking social programs and democratic and trade union rights on an unprecedented scale. It comes from a government which has joined Reagan’s Star Wars program

peace; HeLMuT Om

TALKS THER Key

too close to an agreement witht to remove medium-range nucle: ons from Europe.

Kohl is personally accusing the try’s huge peace movement 0 communist plot, prompting people to ask what the alterD peace is. If peace is synonyt communism, then is impene®” same as war.

Kohl is clearly of the same © Reagan and Thatcher. Asaman steered the FRG through the © military build-up in post-W could it be that Kohl’s **Goe? mark was intended to deflect from what he himself stands