DIPLOMATS EXPELLED

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 11

DIPLOMATS EXPELLED

Three Chinese In Moscow

(N.Z. Preu Association —Copyright)

MOSCOW, June 29. Russia's demand for the recall of three Chinese diplomats from Moscow today heightened tension between the two countries.

The Russians have also described as “undesirable” the further stay of 3 Chinese institute official and a Chinese student, Reuter said.

Western observers said the move brought the Chinese - Soviet ideological dispute to a new crisis pitch. The Associated Press said the Russian demand hit the Moscow diplomatic colony like a bombshell.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the recall demand in Peking today. Reuter said. The Ministrysaid the diplomats and the other two Chinese were accused of distributing in Russia a Chinese letter which criticised the Soviet ideological position. For one Communist country to demand the recall of another's diplomats is almost unprecedented. Russia, however, broke off relations with Albania in December, 1961, in an ideological dispute over Stalinism. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement protesting today against the Russian demand, said: “The Soviet Government’s demand is unreasonable and its excuse untenable.” But tlie terse statement said China would not retaliate against Soviet diplomats in China. The statement appeared to call on Russia to reconsider its demand. It asked whether Russia was not deliberately trying to create obstacles to the high-level ideological talks due to open next week between the two parties. Attack By Khrushchev

The Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) in a speech published yesterday publicly attacked Chinese leaders for “extremely aggravating their differences” with the Soviet and other parties. Western observers said Mr Khrushchev’s action in naming China directly and publicly was virtually unprecedented in their dispute. The observers said the Soviet actionsraised doubts whether the Chinese would actually send their delegation to next week’s talks.

The Chinese are reported to have distributed the antiRussian letter among foreign

embassies, journalists and students in Moscow. The letter, which has not been published by Russia, contained strong attacks on Soviet policies, particularly on peaceful co-existence. It laid down 25 points the Chinese wish to discuss in the high-level talks. At the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, an interpreter said this afternoon he had no information on when the diplomats w-ould go home. The diplomats mentioned in tlie Peking announcement are not on the diplomatic list available to Westerners They are all believed to be of lowrank. Reuter said. . Associated Press quoted diplomatic sources as saying the Chinese were about to begin a new distribution campaign in Moscow

The sources said the Chinese had just flown in from Peking large batches of English-language pamphlets outlining the ideoloical dispute. Previous distributions have involved only Russianlanguage texts. Die new pamphlets also contain a full English-language version of the controversial Chinese letter.