Rumanians Increase Their Readiness For Combat

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31773, 2 September 1968, Page 13

Rumanians Increase Their Readiness For Combat

(N.Z P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

BUCHAREST, September 1.

Thousands of Rumanians have donned brown militia overalls this week-end for para-military training as the armed forces intensify their combat readiness amid reports of Soviet troop concentrations along the country’s unprotected borders.

Weapons drill was held in closely-guarded factory grounds and Army bases where Second World War veterans staged target practice and teen-age girls rattled off the nomenclature of Sovietmade rifles.

Border authorities in Rumania’s eastern and northeastern provinces are said to have received fresh reports of Soviet armour moving behind the Prut River. Intelligence reports say there are Soviet divisions in Moldavia and Bessarabia, former Rumanian territories gained by the Russians during the war. Estimates range from 15 to 27 divisions.

President Nicolae Ceausescu, the architect of Rumania’s policy of independence, maintained an air of outward calm while working behind the scenes helping to find a political settlement to the East European, crisis. In a speech published today in Bucharest, he repeated his condemnation of the WarsawPaet troops’ invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Speaking at Cluj, President Ceausescu said: “We had never thought force would ever be used among Communists, among the Socialist countries, to impose a certain point of view.” Talks In Prague In Prague, the Czechoslovak Communist Party Central Committee today resumed its efforts to find a compromise leadership acceptable to both

its own people and the Krem-

The committee's members slept in Prague Castle last night after a day of debate on the formation of a new Presidium expected to include at least three proMoscow hardliners to appease the Russian occupiers.

Prague Radio last night an- : nounced that the middle-of-I the-road politician, Mr Jan Pelnar, had replaced Mr Josef Pavel as Minister of the Interior, whose resignation President Ludvik Svoboda had approved. Mr Pavel has been severely criticised in the Soviet press. As censorship was reimposed, the main Communist Party newspaper, “Rude Pravo,” came out yesterday with an opinion poll saying that 99 per cent of the population still trusted the party leader (Mr Alexander Dubcek) after last week’s Kremlin talks, in which he agreed to muzzle the press in return for the gradual withdrawal of Soviet troops.

Crowds queued at street kiosks to snatch copies of the paper, which said the invasion had so far cost the country 5000 million kroner (about SNZ3OOm) in damage to transport and communications, with a daily loss of between 250 and 500 million . kroner to the national i economy. 1 Propaganda Sheet The Russians yesterday i published their long-expected occupation newspaper. Soldiers drove through the streets scattering free copies of “Zpravy,” a rough single- • sheet printed in non-gram-I matical Czecho, giving the i Soviet version of the in- > vasion.

Many of the country’s intel

lectuals and writers who were the vanguard of Mr Dubcek's programme of democratic socialism are reported to have heeded the warning of the Prime Minister (Mr Oldrich Cernik) to get out of the country while the going is good. Others who are on a Soviet black list—and they are believed to number more than 2000—have gone underground. Thousands of other people who have no immediate danger to fear are also believed to have quit Czechoslovakia out of sheer despair at the prospect of political repression.

“Rude Pravo” reported that the Presidium had considered the possibility of revising the visa laws, and observers see this as a move to re-impose travel restrictions tc stem the flood of Czechoslovaks seeking to get out of the country.

Help From U.K. Britain yesterday promised quick action to help hundreds of Czechoslovaks wishing to flee to the United Kingdom before the Russian occupation of their country became worse.

The British Embassy in Prague is open this week-end to grant British visas and will remain open seven days a week until the rush ends. The British Home Secretary (Mr James Callaghan) has apparently agreed that visas should be given “readily” to Czechoslovaks with urgent and compelling reasons to leave, as well as to those with near relatives or other close ties with Britain. The Czechoslovak Embassy in London said there was “no reason whatsoever” for a mass exodus from Czechoslovakia.

Life there was being “normalised”, a spokesman said, appealing to Czechoslovaks abroad to return home as soon as possible to help the country’s economic life.

“Czechoslovak citizens returning home do not face any danger of maltreatment," the spokesman said.

10,000 In Austria

In Vienna, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior announced that 553 Czechoslovak citizens had asked for political asylum since August 21, the day Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia.

A spokesman for the Ministry said it was impossible to give the exact number of Czechoslovaks in Austria, because the situation was changing from hour to hour. An estimated 10,000 Czechoslovak tourists were being housed and fed daily by Austrian welfare institutions, including the Red Cross, the Roman Catholic Caritas Association and municipal welfare centres in Vienna. Meanwhile, some 30,000 Czechoslovak tourists still in Jugoslavia are reported to be leaving for Austria, arriving at a rate of 3000 to 4000 a day, and Austrian officials are preparing additional accommodation to cope with these.

Reports from Prague say that the Austrian Legation there is, handling more than 2000 applications for visas every day. Reports Denied In Berne, Switzerland, the Czechoslovak Embassy formally denied reports that the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister (Mr Jiri Hajek) was endeavouring to set up an exile government. The denial followed an hour-long discussion between Mr Hajek and the Czechoslovak Ambassador to Switzerland (Mr Pavel Winkler). Czechoslovak officials refused to reveal any details on the surprise visit of the Foreign Minister, who declined to see or talk to newsmen.

Mr Hajek’s meeting with Mr Winkler, after several similar meetings with Czechoslovak ambassadors elsewhere in the West, revived rumours that he was preparing an exile government for his occupied country.