SOARES SILENT

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 13

SOARES SILENT

i ’ P 4 -Renier—Copyright» | LISBON, April 29. j Portugal is awaiting ( developments alter the ; return front exile of the ; Socialist leader. Dr 1 Mario Soares, and his first contact with the , ountry’s new ruler. i General Antonio de Spin- ' ola. !' General de Spinola, the head of a seven-man “Junta / of National Salvation.”, formed after a military coup last Thursday, has said that a provisional civil Govern- , ment will be named by the - middle of next month,, and that it will prepare free• elections for a National Con-; stituent Assembly within a I year. Dr Soares, aged 49, came home to a tumultuous reception from Socialist and other I eft-wing supporters yesterday. after five years of enforced exile in Paris. He had a 30-minute meeting with General d<-> Spinola. described by a military aide r f the junta leader as a cour-

tesy visit: but the fact that, Dr Soares returned freely, at the summons of his own! Party leadership, has aroused widespread speculation that I he may be asked to join in the proposed provisional Government, Dr Soares, in exchanges with rt porters, declined to be drawn into commenting on this possibility. He said that he would have to consult his parry leadership. The junta has re-opened the airports under new and stringent rules for departures, apparently designed to (prevent a flight of capital. Travellers must appear two ( hours before flight time, and (only persons holding tickets will be allowed inside the I terminal. Another aim was to pre-

; elude the escape of stillmissing members of the secret police or officials of I the old regime who are subject to prosecution. About 2000 members of the former security police are still being | ' sought. Pretoria move In Pretoria. South Africa’sl ; Foreign Minister (Dr Hilgard i Muller) announced today that; I his country had officially re-; .(cognised the Government of) , General de Spinola. .; South Africa is concerned II mainly about the new! I'regime’s attitude to its Afri-) ;' can territories, which are re- j 1 garded as an important buffer! between black Africa and the: 'white-ruled South. I