“No Chinese For Algeria”—Abbas

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29354, 5 November 1960, Page 13

“No Chinese For Algeria”—Abbas

(Rec. 10 p.m.) STOCKHOLM, November 4. Algeria will not become an international battlefield and no Chinese volunteers would interfere in the war, said the Algerian rebel leader, Mr Ferhat Abbas, today in an interview with the paper, “Stockholm Tidningen.”

Reports that Algeria was going to establish her own air force with Russian and Chinese help were untrue. Mr Abbas said. At present the F L.N. insurgents had no airfields. But he also said Algerians would take weapons from where they could get them, and criticised the United States tor supplying France with weapons, said British United Press. He said his army did not need Chinese volunteers.

“We do not lack soldiers, but we need weapons. If we had the same military equipment as the Frenchmen, with their tanks and aircraft, we would have won a long time ago.i “Now we fight against an army that to a great part is equipped by the United States and N.A.T.O. Nine-tenths of the weapons and equipment, including clothes, we have captured from the French are of Amarican make.” Mr Abbas said. “The bombs the Frenchmen use to kill our women and children are of American make. There is no reason for us to hesitate when we are offered weapons from other hands.” he said. “We do not expect any Chinese or Soviet aircraft within the near, future. We have no airfields and can therefore not use them. “We are 1 training aircraft personnel, but they are to be used the day Algeria becomes free and gets her own civil air traffic.” he said.

“All rumours saying that I would 'meet President de Gaulle again are taken from the air." Mr Abbas said “We want no more negotiations. “Last summer we made an at-

tempt to reach an agreement with the Frenchmen at Melun. I was ready to go there as the head of a delegation,” he said. “For a while, we thought that the Frenchmen were serious; but what they demanded was that we would put down our weapons to have a plebiscite. “We know these plebiscites. General Massu would have stood there with a gun pointing against our breasts and the whole thing would have been spoiled," Mr Abbas said.