Special Supplement

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for co-existence, co-operation, and a
quest for political solutions to urgent
issues.

__ The new political thinking has made
It possible to advance a number of
major ideas that have captivated an
alarmed world. The main ones are a

Events have shown that the
new political outlook
Correctly reflects the urgent
requirements of the modern
world. It has evoked hope,
Opened the road to a major
breakthrough in human
conscience, and increases
the real thrust of public
Opinion in the world.

Program for stage-by-stage elimination
of nuclear weapons by the year 2000, a
system of comprehensive security,
freedom of choice, a balance of
interests, a “common European
home,” a program to overhaul
relations in Asia and the Pacific,
defence sufficiency and a non-offensive
doctrine, international economic
security, buildup of national and
regional security through arms cuts,
readiness to mutually put an end to the
presence of foreign troops and bases in
alien territory, confidence-building
measures, an idea for direct
involvement of the authority of science
in world politics.

Such is our creed in foreign policy.

We have announced it without
imposing any conditions or dogmas on
anyone. We have announced it inviting
everybody to participate in joint

reflection and quest and do it on the
basis of national and humanity’s
interests.

In disarmament we have offered far-
reaching decisions and shown readiness
to compromise in a major way. This
has enabled such significant
breakthroughs to happen as the
Geneva Summit and, especially, the
Reykjavik Summit. These two meetings
broke the deadlock on the process of
negotiations and made a heavy impact
on the entire international climate.

The whole style of our foreign policy
has changed. Its distinguishing feature
is dialogue. There is an unprecedented
intensity of contacts at leadership levels
with the outside world, as represented
in heads of state and ordinary citizens.
This has signified a “fresh discovery”
of the Soviet Union. And for
us — feedback — a chance to know
and understand better the world and
correspondingly build our policy,
furthering the formation of
international relations which are
civilized and contemporary.

The priority trend is with the
socialist countries. Together with our |
friends we have set about a comradely
clean-out of the encrustations of formal
attitudes and showiness, and in action
have linked the principles of equality,
independence and non-interference
with the objective reality of the
multitude of national forms in socialist
society. Our internationalist contacts
are built on a basis of mutual benefit, a
balance of interests, common
responsibility for the destinies and
prestige of socialism, and augmentation
of its role in world development.

Over the years of perestroika
relations with a large number of states,
neighbouring and remote, have been
improved or inaugurated. And
relations have been spoiled with none.

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We have stated anew our inter-
relations with such eminent forces
influencing the world process as the
Communist and Social Democratic
among other political parties, the Non-
Aligned movement, and intellectual
quarters embodying the authority of
science and culture.

Events have shown that the new
political outlook correctly reflects the
urgent requirements and imperatives of
the modern world. It has evoked hope,
opened the road to a major
breakthrough in human conscience,
and increases the real thrust of public
opinion in the world.

The arrival of the new outlook in
international politics has been crowned
with big practical achievements: the
INF treaty was signed and the Geneva
Agreements have initiated the
withdrawal of our troops from
Afghanistan.

The definite improvement in Soviet-
American relations, symbolized by the
Summit meetings, gives grounds to
reckon on a fundamental turn toward
eradicating the nuclear threat. The
multilateral process of negotiations
which we have actively promoted is
bringing near a ban on chemical

weapons and opening up an
opportunity to ease the dangerous
confrontation between the two most
mighty military alliances — the North
Atlantic Treaty and the Warsaw
Treaty — and to reduce conventional
forces in Europe.

We are not casting aside the
militarist danger which lurks in the
essence of imperialism. Soviet defence
construction is defined by this and the
efficiency of it henceforth should be
supplied by parameters of quality in
respect to technology and personnel
alike. The realities of the contemporary
world and permutations for objective
factors born of war lead us to think
that the security of states will more and
more be removed from military
correlations to the sphere of politics
with pre-eminence for law, human
morality and fulfillment of
international obligations.

The radical economic reform and
our new approach to commerce have
produced the first shoots needed for
more efficient involvement of our
country in the world economy.

The three years of perestroika allow
us to respond to the paramount
question worrying our people and the

(Top photo) The first column of Soviet troops withdrawing from Afghanistan on
May 18. (Bottom photo) Soviet writer Genrikh Borovik, Chairman of the Soviet
Peace Committee, speaking along with participants in the American-Soviet
peace walk.

Pacific Tribune, June 22, 1988 e

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