Joe Clark’s PLO remarks standard stock phrases Prime Minister Clark’s Organization on CBC-TV Oct. 8 are about as relevant and well-considered .as his other ventures into for- The PM told viewers Canada would recognize the spokesman for Palestinian grievances — on two condi- tions: These, Clark would be that the PLO “renounce violence and ter- rorism as instruments”’ and the PLO “would without any equivocation or condition rec- ognize the right to exists of the State of Israel’. He then says: “‘The essen- tial problem now, it seems to me, is to find some group that can speak with authority for All this insight from a prime minister who bought Jewish votes with a promise to move Canada’s embassy to Jerusalem — a slap tothe Arab people but very effective in r— INTERNATIONAL FOCUS PLO as the authoritative says, - ings. Then he sends an emis- . sary to study the matter and report back. This, despite clear and forceful statements by not only the Arab world but many Western capitals. Now Clark will impose . “‘conditions”’ on a people who have been displaced, hounded, rounded up and murdered. He says nothing of Israeli state terrorism or its policy of annexation and settlement on stolen Palestinian lands. No mention either of Israel’s adamant refusal to include the PLO — the sole representative of the. Palestinian people — in talks aimed toward a Mid East settlement. He doesn’t talk about Is- rael’s occupation and terror- bombing of southern Lebanon. Nothing about the concentra- tion camps for Palestinians or Israel’s policy of ‘‘collective punishment’ in defiance of international treaties. ‘ Not Clark. He simply adds his little bit to blaming the vic- _ tim for fighting back and per- .petuates the seige ‘mentality “myth of an Israel surrounded by a hostile Arab world. Small wonder even the pres- ident of the Zionist Federation _ of Canada saw the real weight of Clark’s comments calling them ‘‘standard stock phrases . used by everybody. They are — the same statements made by Carter, the Pope and other many political leaders in the Western world,” he said. That’s where Joe Clark must have heard them. ; What can be said about Baby Doc’s mother? The ‘“‘Baby Doc’’ Duvalier dictatorship. that rules Haiti has contributed another ‘build- ing block to its human rights | edifice. We recall it was Baby Doc’s father, Papa Doc, who. introduced the concept of a private army of goons called the Tonton Macoute onto the Caribbean political scene years 0. ; Baby Doc Duvalier,’’ presi- dent for life, etc., of Haiti has © now imposed a new press law for Haitian and foreign jour- nalists providing for up to three years imprisonment for insult- ing himself, his mother or other Haitian authorities. Negative Western reply to Soviet peace offer The West’s response to an offer by Soviet: premier Brezhnev to withdraw 20,000 troops and 1,000 tanks from GDR territory and reduce the number of medium-range mis- siles has not been positive. The missile reduction offer by the USSR was linked to the West not proceeding with plans to deploy 600 new medium-range missiles aimed at Soviet targets. U.S. president Carter, in a speech Oct. 9, said the West would proceed with its missile program there. Britain’s De- fence Minister replied to the Soviet offer by: affirming it would keep its nuclear rockets and West Germany urged NATO to continue its rocket build-up despite - Brezhnev’ s offer. The contrast between the two positions is stark: The Warsaw Pack nations have reiterated their offer for milit- ary, and especially nuclear weapons reduction and NATO continues ahead with its dangerous rocket build-up. The Soviet leader’s speech in Berlin was very clear. He held out an offer that leads to- ward stability and peace. But he also warned that NATO’s ‘rejection and its proceeding — with plans to deploy the roc- kets would “alter the strategic situation’’ in Europe and - would be met with an appro- priate Soviet response. ‘We hope that realism, statesmanlike wisdom and healthy commonsense will win out,’’ the Soviet leader said. siaaeaas anna dinaaeenanedeadncaeaaLacdnamanmadeaneaniaadmmaendamndiidiaet caine ite ceed ceili cic cinema alec n an ae os _ Nicaragua battles to overcome _ 40 years of poverty and disease ~ By LLOYD MATTSON - Lloyd Mattson has been travel- ling throughout Nicaragua as the grim struggle to overcome the le- gacy of the Somoza years and the effects of the brutql ciyil war con- tinues. He sends these observa-. tions from the country’s capital, Managua and his travels to Estelt and Chinedega. * * * CHINENDEGA — ‘Right. now what we need most are medecines,”’ said the director ofa 300-bed hospital here when inter- viewed by the Tribune. ‘‘Antibio- tics, vaccines, medecines for malaria and intestinal parasites, reagents for lab tests, x-ray mate- rials, antiseptics local and general and surgical supplies are all in short supply,”’ he said. This hospital in this city of 50,000 is one of three publicly- owned hospitals that serve the Department of: Chinengeda with its population of 20,000. There is also a company hospital on one of the sugar estates. ce There are some eleven clinics which function at a very low level and dispensories for smaller communities are mostly in the planning stage. About 75 doctors serve the people in this Depart- ment, 45 of whom are here in the _ city. A major aim of the new gov- ernment is to take medical aid to the campesinos in the coun- tryside. Right now, massive aid is needed with medical supplies a top priority. ESTELI — This is a city of 33,000 some 150 kilometres from Managua. It is capital of the De- partment of Esteli and commer- cial centre for a fertile, well- drained alluvial plain that pro- duces food crops and tobacco. The plateau areas are cattle coun- try. Over 2,000 residents of Esteli died in the recent war. The city was bombarded three times, the last being between June 10 and July 16 when the Sandinista Front and people captured the local army base. Midway between the heavilly- ‘damaged city. centre and the highway is a building advertised as the Cattlemen’s Club which now serves as a makeshift hospi- tal. A piece of plywood tacked to a corner telephone pole makes a good bulletin board and among the notices is a university prog- ram planned for Esteli. The San- dinista Defence Committee (CDS) is heavilly involved in this and other projects. A CDS administrator explains to the Tribune how the Commit- tees are organized. Here, as in other cities, the people on the block are the bulwark of the CDS. The blocks are grouped in sec- tors, 12 to 20 blocks to a sector. Block committees elect represen- tatives to a sector committee and there are 26 sectors in Esteli with an elected central body that works through councils — public health, education, etc. At every level are committee members responsible for health, education, vigilance, ‘ propagan- da, distribution of supplies and coordinators. The CDS also has direct lines to the local govern- ment. A funeral procession surges by, filling the street for several blocks honoririg those killed in the war MANAGUA — Barrio San Cristobal is a small barrio in the eastern part of Managua where the people played a key role in repelling the National Guard in June of this year. There are nine block committees each with five members. The 45 members elected a council which meets weekly (democracy is pretty heady stuff after 40 years of Somoza). In addition to its other responsibilities, en PACIFIC TRIBUNE— OCTOBER 19, 1979—Page 10 sors a Ballet Folklorico and a quartet known as Revolucion. On the wall is a list of fallen comrades. One was a 10 year-old combatiente. Two died from air — attacks; three were betrayed by stoolpigeons and murdered while in custody; 10 died in combat. (This CDS office was formerly the home of a stoolpigeon). In reply to the Tribune’s ques- tion, a spokesperson outlined the CSD’s main tasks: ‘Improving the health of the people,”’ he said. ‘*Three other barrios work with © us attacking health problems. ‘*Many of our children are suffer- ing from ailments that remain un- treated. Our urgent need is for funds to build our medical centre and dispensary ... *x* * * Canadians wishing to contribute to Nicaragua’s reconstruction should send cheques to: Canadian Aid to . Account No 49-10761, Canadian Bank of Commerce, York Mills and Vic- toria Park, P.O. Box 398, Station Over a quarter of a million Nicaraguan children are suffering mainutrition. An all-out effort is needed to save their lives. ‘E’, Toronto M6H 3E4. $ 5 $ Gs. z | Cx y Regex The 18-member PUSH (Beople United to Save Humanity) group headed by Rev. Jesse Jackson to the Mid East has concluded with Jackson’s intention to meet/ with U.S. president Carter, members of the State Department and con- gressmen to urge them to begin negotiating with the Palestine Liberation Organization. While in the Mid East, the group meet with PLO leader Yas- ser Arafat who declared a unilat- eral cease-fire in southern Leba- non. This action, Jackson told the press, puts a moral obligation on Israel to: stop shelling Palestine areas in Pekan and on the a ited States to see no more U.S. bombs are dropped on the area. Jackson undertook. the trip after the firing of U.S. ambas- sador to the UN Andrew Young for meeting with PLO representa- tives. The PUSH iam is to bring the PLO and U.S. together. Jackson also called on Israel to return to its 1967 borders and return Arab lands captured in that war. Despite PUSH’s desire to have talks with Israeli government leaders, Tel Aviv refused to meet with the delegation. up’s stated - i Jesse Jackson greets leader Yasser Arafat.