Brezhnev cancels Dortmund visit

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33230, 21 May 1973, Page 13

Brezhnev cancels Dortmund visit

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

BONN, May 20.

The West German Chancellor (Mr Brandt) and the First Secretary of the Soviet Union Communist Party (Mr Brezhnev) are continuing their five-day summit in Bonn today, both pressing for assurances in widely-differing fields.

The Russians are keen to seal long-term economic cooperation pacts, lasting up to 50 years, with the technologicallyadvanced West Germans. For his part, Mr Brandt seeks firm assurances that Moscow will adopt a policy on Berlin acceptable to West German public opinion and compatible with the 1971 four-Power agreement.

So far, the summit talks, described as historic, have produced three low-key agreements which will allow greater West GermanRussian co-operation in the economic, technological, industrial, cultural, and civil aviation fields.

But these accords were already settled before Mr Brezhnev’s arrival on Friday, and little has been said of the prolonged discussions in Mr Brezhnev’s hotel and in the heavily-guarded Bonn Chancellery. One of the more visible aspects of the summit has been a frequent motorcade shuttleservice, whisking the two leaders from meal to meal and discussion to discussion between the Chancellery and the semi-fortified hill-top hotel three miles away. Strict security precautions — among the most stringent seen in West Germany — reached a peak yesterday, when the police detained more than 350 Maoists who had been planning a demonstration on Monday in Dortmund which the Kremlin leader was due to visit. He has since cancelled the visit.

Talks with Arabs The West German Foreign Minister (Mr Walter Scheel) had private talks with Mr Brezhnev last night. Informed sources say that the two men discussed European questions and domestic politics, but Mr Scheel left for a tour of Arab countries today, and it seems likely that he also discussed the Middle East situation with Mr Brezhnev and his Soviet Union counterpart, Mr Andrei Gromyko. Informed sources in Cairo say that Mr Scheel’s visit to Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon are a clear indication of West Germany’s growing interest in the Middle East, 'and a hopeful sign that the European Common Market countries will become more actively involved in efforts to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict. Bonn has already announced its support for the United Nations resolution of November, 1967, calling for Israel’s withdrawal from the

Arab territories it occupied after the six-day war of June, 1967. Tomorrow, Mr Scheel will discuss Arab-West German relations with Mr Mahmoud Riad, the Egyptian SecretaryGeneral of the Arab League, and pay a courtesy call on Dr Mahmoud Fawzi, the Egyptian Vice-President and special foreign affairs adviser to President Sadat. Tomorrow evening, the West German Minister will meet ambassadors from the Common Market countries, and give a banquet in honour of Dr Zayyat. Mr Scheel will meet President Sadat on Tuesday morning, before leaving for Amman. Dr Zayyat’s sudden departure for Damascus yesterday, for talks with President alAssad of Syria, have given rise to speculation among Cairo observers that it might

libe connected with a possible fijoint Middle East peace mow by the Common Market ! I countries. ! Mr Brandt is expected to i visit Israel next month, and . to convey to the Israeli lead- . ers the results of Mr Scheel’s j talks in Cairo. 1 Waldheim report r The United Nations Secrea tary-General (Dr Waldheim) t will urge Israel and the Arab * States to look again at using ' the Security Council as a ’ Middle East peace-maker, l says a New York report. 1 He makes the request in a J 50-page report, to be pub- : lished tomorrow, a prelude to a full-scale review of the sit- ■ uation, to open about June 4 , at the initiative of Egypt. Israel has repeatedly asked i for face-to-face negotiations ! with the Arab States but has : been rebuffed by them.