CEASE FIRE REPORTS Both sides fight for territory

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33060, 30 October 1972, Page 15

CEASE FIRE REPORTS Both sides fight for territory

CN.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SAIGON, October 29.

Scattered Communist attacks soared to their highest level in five years today, South Vietnamese military spokesmen said, as both sides intensified their struggle for control of population centres before a cease-fire could be called.

The Saigon Command said that the Communists initiated 138 shellings, ground attacks and terrorist incidents in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m.—l4 more than the previous record of 124 on Friday, and the highest recorded since the Tet offensive of 1968.

Communist troops captured at least 12 hamlets within 40 miles of Saigon yesterday, but the South Vietnamese recaptured seven of them by this morning. One of the hamlets still partly in Communist hands is only 10 miles north-west of the capital. Forty miles east of Saigon, South Vietnamese troops reported 46 Communists killed in the recapture of two hamlets. Government losses were put at four killed and 10 wounded. Peace confidence A Washington report said that American officials were confident that a Vietnam cease-fire would be signed within a few weeks despite a diplomatic counter-offensive by the South Vietnamese President and the new wave of Communist attacks near Saigon. Informed sources said that American confidence stemmed from private communications between the United States and North Vietnam. While refusing to speculate on the substance of the unpublicised contracts, the sources said that Hanoi’s position was considerably softer than its public demand that the cease-fire must be signed by next Tuesday. In South Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu launched a diplomatic offensive against the nine-point peace plan. President Thieu sent a team of special envoys to friendly Asian and Pacific countries to explain his stand

against the political aspects of the Washington-Hanoi peace plan. He feels the proposed settlement threatens his Government and does not meet his demands for a pledge by North Vietnam to pull its troops out of the South. President Thieu said yesterday that only he could sign a valid peace agreement for South Vietnam. The Viet Cong’s Provisional Revolutionary Government announced that it would respect a cease-fire if an agreement was signed by next Tuesday as demanded by Hanoi. Informed sources in Phnom Penh said the Cambodian Government was not satisfied with the peace agreement as it applied to that country. The Senate and Lower House demanded war reparations from the Viet Cong and North Vietnam. The South Vietnamese Supreme Court yesterday adopted a resolution condemning any peace proposal which was not approved by the South Vietnamese Government, Agence France-Presse reported from Saigon. The Court’s resolution came after similar moves by senators, deputies, and provincial and municipal councillors yesterday. Part for Rogers In Paris, Communist and French diplomatic sources said that the United States Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers) would come to sign a cease-fire agreement with the North Vietnamese on Tuesday, United | Press International reported. There was no confirmation

of the report from the White House. United Press International quoted the Communist and French sources as saying that the North Vietnamese Foreign Minister (Mr Nguyen Duy Trinh) would sign on behalf of Hanoi. The sources said the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese would not sign the agreement. President Nixon’s security adviser. Dr Henry Kissinger, said last Thursday that another negotiating session would be necessary before the United States could sign. The North Vietnamese invited Dr Kissinger to Paris on Tuesday—but said the agreement must be signed then and that no further negotiations were necessary.

Dr Kissinger also told a news conference the United States had informed North Vietnam that “we would stop military activities north of the 20th parallel.”

The Secretary of Defence (Mr Melvin Laird) confirmed that these activities have now stopped.