Tanks Withdraw 12 Miles From Prague

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31783, 13 September 1968, Page 15

Tanks Withdraw 12 Miles From Prague

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PRAGUE, September 12. Russian tanks pulled out of Prague and two other main Czechoslovak cities overnight, almost exactly three weeks to the day since invasion of the country by Warsaw Pact forces.

For hours the darkened streets of the capital reverberated with the rumble of the heavy tanks as they ground in single file out of central Prague in a cloud of thick exhaust fumes.

“We’re going home, we’re going home,” shouted a Russian soldier seated precariously on one of the troop carriers.

He apparently did not realise his destination was only 12 miles away in one of the sprawling meadows and woods surrounding Prague. The troops will probably settle down there to await the next stage of negotiations between Prague and Moscow about the ocupation forces.

Similar withdrawal scenes were reported from the key cities of Brno and Bratislava. There was no immediate

word on whether any token units had remained behind in any of the three cities. The Kremlin has said the occupation forces would gradually withdraw as Czechoslovakia’s leaders brought the situation in the country under control.

cow on Tuesday by the Czechoslovak Prime Minister, Mr Oldrich Cernik.

Prague leaders have been pressing hard for normalisation and have taken measures to fulfil the Moscow agreement which followed the occupation by reimposing press censorship and snuffing out any new political groups. Kremlin approval of the withdrawal from the cities comes after talks the Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Vasily Kuznetsov, has been having after a visit to Mos-