JUGOSLAVIA’S DISPUTE WITH SOVIET

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28258, 22 April 1957, Page 15

JUGOSLAVIA’S DISPUTE WITH SOVIET

(Rec. 8 p.m.) BELGRADE, Apr. 20. President Tito of Jugoslavia has renewed the charges that Stalinist tendencies are still rooted in Soviet policy towards other countries. The leaders of the Soviet Union would in a short time come to realise that Jugoslavia had no reason to change her policy and her attitude, President Tito told Jugoslav officials at a meeting at Brioni Island, in the Adriatic, yesterday. He said that Jugoslavia was right in its -dispute with the Soviet Union over the Belgrade Government’s refusal to join the Moscow - dominated Socialist camps. He said some leading personalities in the Soviet Union had not yet been able to abandon old views. “Regardless of the fact that they have corrected to some extent Stalinist tendencies in their policy, these tendencies still have root in Soviet policy towards other countries, towards Jugoslavia and in general,” the President declared. The 64-year-old chief of the Jugoslav State, in his first public statement on foreign affairs since last November, spoke at Brioni to a plenary session of the Federal Board of the Socialist Alliance, Jugoslavia’s mass political organisation which is closely allied to the Communist Party. The speech was released by the official news agency, Tanjug. “Must Remain Firm” President Tito added: “In the present dispute it is essential that we remain firmly by our attitude that we do not wish to be included in some camp and we do not wish this because we would thus lose the role which Jugoslavia plays -in the world and which permits us an independent attitude in expressing our views on all questions, both of an internal and foreign policy character.” The President said it was well known that a dispute had developed between Jugoslavia and the Eastern countries —“countries of the Socialist camp, as they consider themselves.” Jugoslavia’s refusal to join the Socialist camp had chiefly contributed to the anxiety felt by the Soviet leaders. “I would not dramatise the dispute now existing. We hoped that it would go no further than the ideological field because the Soviet comrades had originally also said that in the ideological field there could be different views but that on the State level there should be no dispute,” the President said. “To be regretted, it has been

“Stalinist Tendencies Still Have Root” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

seen that the state of affairs to which we have come has been contrary to our desire and that the dispute on the ideological level was also reflected internally in our inter-State relations,” President Tito said. “The question is now often asked whether we should believe them at all now that we are for the second time in a difficult situation. I think it would be wrong if it were so considered that we are not able to believe them,” President Tito said. “Subjective Element” “I think the subjective element plays the main role. That means the attitude of some leading personalities who are not yet able to abandon old views in connexion with relations between Socialist countries.” President Tito said that a speech by Mr Khrushchev in Moscow recently, in which the Soviet leader expressed the hope for good relations with Jugoslavia, was “a ray of hope.” But this had been followed by an attack on Jugoslavia by Mr Mikhail Suslov, one of the Soviet Communist Party secretaries. “Whom shall we now believe?” the President asked. “One speaks in one way today and the next day the other turns 180 degrees. I think this is very bad and we must say this to them in some form, perhaps not through the press or in polemics, but we must find some way of saying that it cannot go on like this. “If they sincerely believe that our relations should improve and develop in both their interests and ours and for peace in the world, then they should drop such methods in relations between our two countries,” President Tito said. He regarded the situation calmly and with some optimism. shaH from time to time react calmly because that which is incorrect we must deny. But still the day will come, and it is not far perhaps when all these unjustified, insincere and uncomradely discussions conducted against us will begin to die.” President Tito added: “Jugoslavia, such as she is, has no reason to change her policy and her attitude. “We have, on the basis of experience, the deep conviction that we are on the correct road and that diversion from that road, a changing of our policy, would be harmful not only for our internal affairs, but also for further Socialist development, and for the development of Socialist thought in the world in general. “This would not contribute to a relaxation of the tension now existing in the world. I believe that they will reach the conviction one day that Jugoslavia stands firmly on her position, that as such she plays a useful role in present difficult international relations, and that she does not jeopardise the Soviet Union for her attitude, but on the contrary contributes by it both to the Soviet Union and to all those who desire peace and good relations in the world.” Relations with West Referring briefly to relations with the West, President Tito said: “We want to have good relations with the West. Our relations are not such as those which Stalin had, in the sense that what we have is best and that nothing is of value there. “We have taken much from the West and we shall continue to do so because the West has a cen-turies-old culture and science which we should and must use.” But to take Western social ideas as they existed at present would mean watering down the system for which Jugoslavs had given their, blood. “We have nothing against the free development of thought by our people. This must exist. The struggle of opinions must exist, but still there are certain things which are common and which must be common and this is what we are striving for,” President Tito said.