‘Pravda’ Warns Australia

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 17

‘Pravda ’ Warns Australia

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

MOSCOW, May 6.

The Communist Party newspaper, “Pravda,” accused Australia yesterday of trying to. lead a new military pact in South-East Asia and told that country to take a realistic look at the consequences.

“Pravda’s? Canberra correspondent, Oleg Skalkin, said next month’s five-nation conference in Canberra would be devoted to the creation of the new pact, which he said, Australia was trying to lead. The conference would be attended by Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore, Skalkin said, but he clearly regarded it as a United States beach-head in South-East Asia. He wrote: “Realism is really necessary, primarily realism in assessing the con-

sequences that might result from Canberra’s shortsighted policy on the creation of Pentagon military beach-heads in South-East Asia, or the setting up of aggressive military blocs there.”

He accused Australia of seeking England’s former position as the dominant Power east of Suez and of giving the United States territory for a base to be used “for the military exploitation of the cosmos.” He did not give any details on the latter charge.