WORLD The choice: confrontation or search for peace — Gorbachev MOSCOW — ‘‘We are convinced that world war can be prevented. But, as experience shows, the struggle for preserving peace and ensuring general security is not an easy thing and requires ever new efforts.” In these words, Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, addressing a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, April 23, gave expression to the essence of Soviet foreign policy. ‘*Comrades”’, he said, ‘‘we are now on the threshold of the 40th anniversary of the great victory over fascism. The Communist Party and the Soviet Government, bear- ing in mind the enormous price paid for the victory bv the Soviet people and other peoples of the anti-Hitler coali- tion and referring again to the tragedy that befell man- _ kind, consider it the main goal of their activity in the foreign policy field to prevent a recurrence of anything of that kind, especially a nuclear catastrophe.” Pointing out that the international situation remains troubled, and dangerous due to the actions of imperial- ism, he defined the choice facing humankind: either a further growth of tension and confrontation or a con- structive search for mutually-acceptable accords that would halt the process of material preparations for a nuclear conflict. ‘‘... Responsibility for the present situation rests, in the first place, with the ruling circles of the U.S. They continue to come out as initiators of the arms race and sabotage disarmament, of which the world community knows well.” Referring to the completed, first stage of the current Geneva talks, Gorbachev bluntly stated there is good reason to believe that Washington does not seek agree- ment with the Soviet Union. ‘‘That is to be seen if only from the fact that it refuses in general to discuss the question of preventing the arms race from spreading to space simultaneously with the discussion of the question of nuclear arms reduction.”” This, he charged, constitutes a violation of the agree- ment reached last January, on the interconnection of the three subjects: prevention of arms race in space, on nuclear strategic arms reduction and reduction of me- dium-range nuclear armaments in Europe. “‘It is to be explained by the fact that certain circles in the US. still want to attain a dominant position in the world, espe- cially militarily.” As Gorbachev told the Central Committee, the U.S. has not responded favorably to any of these positive initiatives. ‘‘On the contrary,” he said, “‘it is trying to give a distorted view of the Soviet Union’s actions aimed at reducing the war danger, at reaching accords.” From Moscow Jack Phillips However, the Soviet leader did not write off the cur- rent Geneva talks. He pledged that his country would consistently seek in Geneva concrete, mutually-accept- able agreements that would facilitate putting an end to the arms race and make a start on the road to’ disarmament. Referring to USSR-U.S. relations, Gorbachev re- iterated his country’s desire ‘‘to look for ways to straighten out relations, to build a bridge of co-opera- tion.’’ But, he said, such a bridge must be built from both sides. Referring to the closely knit community of socialist states, he made the point that its economic and defensive might, and its unity of action in the international arena, represent ‘‘an invincible force in the struggle for a peace- ful future for humankind. “The achievement of military-strategic balance with the states of the aggressive NATO bloc is an exceedingly important, historic gain for the fraternal socialist coun- tries. This parity should be guarded in every way for the sake of peace. It reliably restrains the aggressive appe- tites of imperialism ...’’ “‘As before,” he declared, ‘‘we shall spare no effort for the armed forces of the USSR to have everything necessary for defending our homeland and its allies so that no one can take us unawares.” Speaking of the peace forces on a global scale, Gor- bachev said: ‘‘at present humankind has a tremendous peace potential, all-round experience and a sufficient breadth of historical and social vision to understand where a policy of aggression can lead.” This, he avowed, - brings the peace forces closer together, makes anti-war and anti-nuclear movements more active and causes ever new progressive and democratic detachments to rise to the struggle against the war danger. ‘‘What is needed today, more than ever’’ said the Soviet leader, ‘‘is political will in the name of peace on earth, in the name of a better future.” Canadian CP participating in May 9 events MOSCOW — William Kashtan, General Secre- tary of the Communist Party of Canada, and Maurice Rush, Central Committee member and British Columbia Provincial leader of the Party, arrived here May 7 to participate in the extensive program in commemoration of the 40th Anniver- sary of the military defeat of Nazism and Japanese militarism. They are officially representing the Canadian party. When I spoke to Kashtan shortly after his arri- val, he told me that as they were driven into the city, he and Maurice Rush saw many signs and banners connected with the commemoration of the | | great victory that changed the.course of world history. “I couldn’t help but think of the profound differ- ence between how the Soviet Union deals with this anniversary and how President Reagan is marking the occasion’’, Kashtan told me. ‘‘Reagan’s ap- proach to this great, historic occasion is exem- plified by his presence and speech at the Bitburg cemetry in the Federal Republic of Germany. No matter how he may try to explain it, the fact re- | mains that he paid tribute to SS troops, the very | troops who were responsible for the mass murder of millions of people.”’ Kashtan said that while the Soviet Union draws the lesson from World War Two — that if war is to be prevented, peace must be fought for — Reagan draws a different conclusion. ‘‘Reagan’’, he said, ‘tis obviously aiming to rewrite history and to es- tablish a military alliance with the Federal Repub- | lic of Germany directed against socialism and the | people of the world. However, the world has changed as a result of the victory over nazism and | Japanese militarism and not to the liking of Reagan. The forces of peace are powerful enough, if | united, to prevent another world war.” i Speaking of the program in which the Canadian } delegation will participate, Kashtan said they were looking foreward to a busy but rewarding schedule. ‘*We will make a full report on these historic events when we return to Canada.” — J.P. Rightists defeated in Peru elections By CINDY HAWES MEXICO CITY — In Peru’s April 14 _ elections Alan Garcia Perez, a 35-year- old lawyer of the social-democratic American Popular Revolutionary Al- liance (APRA), obtained 48 per cent of the vote, becoming the apparent victor in the presidential race. Lima’s mayor, Alfredo Barrantes, candidate of the United Left Coalition (IU), came in second with 23.5 per cent. The IU is a coalition of left parties includ- ing the Communist Party of Peru. The candidates will face each other in runoff elections in June. (The IU candidate has subsequently withdrawn, leaving the presidency to Garcia — ed.) This victory for the center-left APRA, and also the IU, reflects the Peruvian people’s rejection of the economic pol- icies of the Fernando Belaunde Terry government during the past five years. These policies, dictated by the Inter- national Monetary Fund (IMF), caused a deep economic, social and political crisis in Peru. Inflation exceeded 120 per cent last year, while 66 per cent of the workforce is either unemployed or underemployed. Per capita income has dropped to the _ 1965 level. The foreign debt almost doubled since 8e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 15, 1985 Belaunde Terry took office, reaching $14-billion. The government has been unable to keep up with the interest pay- ments on this debt, much of which is owed to U.S. banks through the IMF. It was under these conditions that the right-wing parties were defeated despite their 50-year domination of the country. The principal rightist candidate, Luis Bedova Reyes, former mayor of Lima, received only 12.8 per cent of the vote. Belaunde Terry’s ruling Popular Action Party (AP) barely obtained the 5 per cent needed to maintain its ballot listing. Peru’s 8 million voters also defied the calls of the Maoist organization Shining Path to boycott the elections. Up to 90° per cent of registered voters participated. The expected victory of Garcia in the June run-off elections would signify the first time his party, APRA, will have reached the presidency since it was founded in 1924. Historically, the mili- tary has opposed APRA, preventing it from coming to power, but now it has publicly stated that the armed forces would respect an APRA victory. The military, like the country’s right wing, considers Garcia the ‘‘lesser of two evils’’ by comparison with the IU. Garcia has been accused of being vague about the programs he plans to implement to bail Peru out of its crisis. During his campaign he promised a re- s gime that would be ‘‘for all Peruvians.”’ But economic problems in Peru are such that the only solutions involve hurting the interests of the rich and the transna- tional corporations. While vowing to narrow the sharp class differences, Gar- cia has not outlined any new taxes or other measures that would hit the rich. Garcia said, however, he will raise im- port tariffs and taxes on foreign oil com- panies, and slash payments on Peru’s foreign debt to 20 per cent of export earn- ings (compared with the 45 per cent under the Belaunde Terry government). Barrantes, the IU candidate, said that if elected president he would nationalize the Southern Peru Copper Corporation, the largest mining transnational in the country, as well as two oil companies and a bank. He would proclaim a ‘‘selec- tive moratorium” on the foreign debt for five years, and establish strict control over foreign trade. He would also place the pharmaceutical industry under state control. Garcia called for joint negotiations to resolve Latin America’s foreign debt problems. He blasted the IMF for mak- ing itself the ‘‘financial policeman for great capitalism’’ and said it was ‘‘extin- guishing the expectations of the Latin American peoples.” Despite these criticisms, it is still un- certain what Garcia’s position will be when faced with negotiating Peru’s debt with the IMF. : On foreign policy, the APRA lead said in his first press conference that t Reagan administration’s policy tow: Central America was ‘‘erroneous.”’ #& voiced his support of Nicaragua > elected government, and announced tha : his country would try to join the Conta” dora group. He is also expected to ele- vate his country’s relations with Cuba 10 the ambassador level. ‘Our government,”’ Garcia said in 4? interview with Mexico’s Daily Excels! newspaper, ‘‘will oppose in a radical way any form of colonialism. Its action will D”” sustained, fundamentally, on the prin@ ples of equality, sovereignty, non-inté vention and self-determination.”’ APRA’s main constituency is PerU > middle strata, the professionals and the” peasants. The IU has a stronger working class base. The country’s principay workers’ organization, The Genel Confederation of Peruvian Workers; ce led by the Communist Party. Class factors will undoubtedly be 4 cisively in determining whether or ® APRA will govern in coalition with t IU. It can count on the IU’s support 9 if it adopts economic policies that fav Peruvian workers. Cindy Hawes is Mexico City corresp© dent for the U.S. Daily World.