Kissinger on peace mission to Moscow

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33492, 25 March 1974, Page 11

Kissinger on peace mission to Moscow

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, March 24. The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) is due in Moscow today’ on a double peace mission.

He seeks to break a deadlock on a new treaty on nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union, and to hasten a settlement between Israel, and Syria on the Golan Heights.

He has been criticised in Moscow by Soviet Jews who say that he has ignored the alleged persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union. The attack on Dr Kissinger and the Nixon Administration was made by six Jews from Siberia in an' open letter yesterday. The letter, which was made available to Western journalists, said: “Ignqring the persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union and event their physical annihilation, Dr Kissinger and President Nixon’s Administration must assume partial responsibility for these crimes.” The document, which was addressed to four United States Congressmen who are opposed to making trade concessions to the Soviet Union until it allows the right of free emigration, is seen in Moscow as underlining the problems still facing development of the detente between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has pledged

to work for a further strengthening of its ties with Washington, but it has also made it clear that it regards any discussion of the free emigration issue as interference in its internal affairs.

One of Dr Kissinger’s main tasks in Moscow will be to work out a programme or President Nixon’s scheduled visit in June, and to map out areas in which new bilateral agreements can be signed. He will also review the progress of East-West disarmament discussions —both in the Strategic Arms Limitation talks and in the discussions on mutual force reduction in Central Europe—as well as the Middle' East situation.

But though the Nixon Administration has ordered the resumption of the processing of export-import bank loans to the Soviet Union for several major projects, there are still serious obstacles in the way of major economic co-operation. These are largely the result of strong Congressional resistance to efforts by Mr Nixon to grant the Soviet Union most-favoured-nation treatment—clearing the way for a huge expansion of trade —without a reciprocal gesture of freer emigration from the Russians.