Communique From Czechoslovakia

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31775, 4 September 1968, Page 26

Communique From Czechoslovakia

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 3.

A silence of 13 days between the Foreign Office in Prague and the Czechoslovak Legation in Wellington has been broken by a communique received by the Charge d’Affaires of Czechoslovakia in New Zealand (Mr Jaroslav Matous).

Mr Matous said today that he had not been concerned at the silence as he was confident he would receive word from Prague as soon as the position there clarified itself.

He had had no other word from the Czechoslovak capital either official or private, and he expected communications in the next diplomatic pouch to arrive in Wellington. The most decisive piece of information received by Mr Matous from Prague is a

statement by the Prime Minister (Mr Cernik) who says that the basic principles concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops and the settlement of the consequences of their stay in Czechoslovakia had been agreed upon. “This withdrawal will be made gradually and in several stages,” Mr Cernik said. “We have been assured that the managing of ail State affairs will be in the hands of our legal Government, which will continue to pursue the original Government’s programme.” Trade Fair He said that the frontiers of Czechoslovakia had been open for all goods coming in and out of the republic and the Government was reconsidering the opening of the international trade fair in Brno, with the probable delay of only one week. The message from Mr Cernik said that his country’s trade corporations were ready to meet all contracts which had already been confirmed.