_ NATO's Portuguese strategy

By OLEG STROGANOV
APN Political Observer

Two top figures in the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
‘(NATO) almost simultaneously
| &hgaged themselves, heart and
) Soul; in worrying over Portu-
‘uese affairs. NATO Secretary-
General Joseph Luns had talks
Washington with State Secre-
tary Kissinger, and adviser to
the president D. Rumsfeld, and
€ U.S. representative in NATO,
Bruce.

To distract. the Portuguese
from thinking that the next con-
| Piracy was being staged behind
| their back, three days previously
€ American General Alexander
aig, the new Supreme Allied
Ommander in Europe, had visit-
n.

pate general’s mission was far

mM easy. He was commission-

) 8Uese leadership the recent anti-
’ demonstrations in Lisbon.

There seemed to be nothing
‘nsational about it: Brussels,
M0using the NATO headquarters,
and even Washington and other

oer the U.S. is particularly
fried with the participation
_ -Ommunists in the Portuguese
80Vvernment. :
NATO Inspired
(i Propagandist interpretations
ae Sabotage against Portugal)
orced on the world by the West
Ck be clearly seen in the Asso-
ated Press and Reuter dis-
)Patches from Brussels, saying
li a the Communists’ diploma-
er involvement in Portugal is
)*Panding, that the leading coun-
ting, of the Eastern bloc are set-
ne up their trade missions to
Tease the number of their

‘

| to discuss with the Portu- -

snitals of the NATO member- :
| States are sometimes shaken by.
She demonstrations of this.

But now, as Reuter pointed

representatives in Portugal, etc.

News inspired by NATO and
distributed by the western press
on a civil war allegedly being
prepared in Portugal, was. cate-
gorically challenged a few days
ago by Vasco Goncalves, Prime
Minister of Portugal.

In the young Portuguese de-
mocracy born on April 25, 1974
in a bloodless overthrow of the
48-year-old fascist regime the
union between the Movement of
the Armed Forces and the work-
ing people is playing the leading
role. Portuguese democracy has

NATO is questioning the sovereignty of Portugal . . . trying ~
to use both the stick and the carrot to breach the Lisbon gov-
ernmental coalition and unleash anarchy in the country. Then
under the camouflage of “protecting democracy”, to make its
involvement there permanent .

By FILS DELISLE

; apbitalist worlds came together
Wea Leipzig Trade Fair this
trad to engage in business and
€ ona massive scale.

Tries ibitors from some 60 coun-
; ut puresented their products to
; This 5 from over 90 countries.
‘Bion v2S Seen as a new expres-
hybite all obstacles still to be
‘tion, °4 in the process of relaxa-
‘JF, Of international tensions.
Most nadians, however, — the
‘the Striking single fact about
Tade fair was that Canada
os ignoring this greatest
Jang ely gathering of buyers
oesn €rs in the world. As if it
ab] need the business avail-

r here,
4 Self Sharp contrast to Ottawa’s
‘tig, SOlation from this interna-
Marketplace, all other
Capitalist countries are

leagi
Present

: d long-term business
‘Cia : Even the USA is now offi=
‘air fo. cPresented at the trade
ae the first time.

of hej Phasize the seriousness
‘like th Participation, countries

: © USA, Great Britain,
and oth Australia, India, Japan
ambas €rs, made sure that their
Sadors in the German De-

LIN — The socialist and-

Of the trend to co-existence,

rati :
atic Republic were all pres-

ent on opening day, when GDR
Government and Party leaders
toured the exhibits.

Thus U.S. Ambassador John

Sherman Cooper
greeted Erich Honecker, First
Secretary of the Socialist Unity

Party and other leaders, at the

USA pavillion. He welcomed
them in the name of the U.S.
Government and declared: “With
this pavillion the USA is taking
part in the Leipzig Fair for the
first time in order to support

buyers and sellers of the USA

and the GDR in furthering their
business relations for the mutual
benefit of both countries.”

At the British pavillion British
Ambassador Herbert Keeble told
Honecker, State Council Chair-
man Willi Stoph, and Prime Min-

ister Horst Sindermann: “It is

an honor and a pleasure for me
to greet the leading ; representa-
tives of the GDR at our fair ex-
hibits in the name of the British

“Government and all British ex-

hibitors. My government is work-
ing for thé constant expansion
of our mutual trade and coopera-
tion in the framework of devel-
oping bilateral relations.”
Similar declarations were made
by ambassadors of other capital-
ist countries, while representa-
tives of such powerful monopoly
circles as the Krupp concern in
the Federal Republic of Germany
and similar groups elsewhere met

personally,

with GDR representatives at the
fair to work out programs for
expanded trade deals with the
GDR.

The fact that Canada has
failed to sign agreements it has
already worked out with the
GDR for mutual diplomatic rec-
ognition, in no way prevents
Canadian business or Ottawa it-
self from taking part in the spring
and autumn Leipzig Trade Fairs
or from seeking profitable deals
and international contacts there.
Most of the leading capitalist
countries did business at the
Leipzig Fair long before they es-
tablished diplomatic relations
with the GDR. GDR: officials do
not understand why Canadian
businessmen should not be inter-
ested in the business that others
have long been getting at Leip-
zig. The trade fair is not merely
a good occasion on which to pro-
mote trade with the GDR itself;
it is, on a larger scale, a meet-
ing place for buyers and sellers
from all over the world, includ-

ing the greatest business and in-

dustrial groups in the socialist
and capitalist countries.

When Ottawa and Canadian
businessmen act as if the Leip-
zig Fair doesn’t interest them,
they are merely throwing away
good business which govern-
ments and businessmen in other
capitalist countries are only too

happy to snap up.

adopted and is developing every-
thing useful from the democratic

experience of West and East, in -
particular from the 30-year-long

experience of the people’s de-
mocracy of some countries in
eastern Europe.

It is not the Portuguese Com-
munists who are a danger to Por-
tugal’s sovereignty, for they are
marching in one rank with the
Movement of the Armed Forces.
Neither is it the mythical inva-
sion of east-European diplomats
about which NATO propaganda
services are trumpeting so loud-
ly. NATO is questioning the sov-
ereignty of the country. It is try-
ing to use both the stick and the
carrot in its attempts to breach
the Lisbon governmental coali-
tion, to unleash anarchy in the
country and then, under the

camouflage of slogans to “pro-

tect democracy,” to make its in-

_ volvement there permanent.

Pressure is particularly strong

- on the Portuguese Socialist Party

(which is represented in the gov-
ernment and holds a number of
key positions) with a view to
force it to start an anti-Commu-
nist campaign.
Prime Minister Vasco Gon-

.valves called reaction and fas-

cism the chief enemy, which had
o be fought relentlessly and
which had not yet been defeated
completely in Portugal. Speak-
ing in Sabugo, near Lisbon, he
called for stronger unity be-
tween the Armed Forces Move-
ment and the working people.

“The Armed Forces will con-
tinue to stand on guard for the
interests of the entire country,” .
he said. “We shall allow no one
to split our ranks!” : ‘

SOVIET-CUBAN TRADE CONTINUES TO EXPAND

MOSCOW — Trade between the USSR and Cuba will total more
than 2000-million roubles in 1975 with the signing recently of a
new trade protocol. The Soviet Union will continue to suppy oil
and its by-products, food, machinery and many other items to
Cuba which, in turn, will continue to export its traditional items
of.trade including sugar, nickel, tobacco and citrus fruits.

BRAM FISCHER PERMITTED TO GO HOME —

- PRETORIA — Following extensive protests, the apartheid South
African regime has agreed to permit Communist Party leader Bram
Fischer to go home for one month of after-care treatment. Fischer,
sentenced to life imprisonment in 1966, has cancer of the brain,
spine and hip. Justice Minister Kruger, who had previously refused

' to allow Fischer to be with his family despite pleas from many
prominent South Africans, said that if he recovered he “might
revert to his Communist. activities”.

MADRID TEACHERS CLOSE 50 SCHOOLS IN PAY STRIKE

MADRID — Teachers at 50 Madrid public schools went on strike
March 7 for a pay raise to offset the effects of inflation, but the
regime rejected their demands. More than 100,000 Spanish work-
ers are now on strike in this country where strikes are illegal and
the official labor front is controlled by the fascist government,

COLOMBIA-CUBA RESUME TIES AFTER 14-YEAR BREAK

BOGOTA — Colombia and Cuba have re-established diplomatic
ties after a 14-year break, it was announced simultaneously in both
capitals March 6. Indalecio Lievano, Colombia’s Foreign Minister
told a news conference, “We are thawing the cold war,” and that
the two countries were resuming ties “for the principles of judicial
equality, mutual -respect and benefit and Latin American unity.”
Colombia has thus defied the embargo against Cuba imposed by the
U.S.-controlled Organization of American States (OAS).

REGULAR MOSCOW-LISBON AIR SERVICE BEGINS

LISBON — Regular air service was begun March 7 between the ~
Portuguese and Soviet capitals. Aeroflot Il-62 jetliners will make
the twice-weekly flight which will take six hours. They will stop
at Frankfurt on the way and continue on to Havana.

Spanish police break through a crowd to make an a

ass at
rrest.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1975—Page 7