Socialists confer in Paris

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 17

Socialists confer in Paris

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PARIS, October 13. The French Socialist Party, bolstered by gains in recent by-elections, has begun a special conference in Paris amid antagonism from its Communist allies.

Attended by 1500 dele-: gates from the party itself J sympathetic political groups, and trade union leaders, the conference is the finst Leftwing meeting of its kind since the Socialist leader, Mr Francois Mitterrand, narrowly lost the Presidential election in May. The aim of the meeting is to extend the party’s influence in Parliament, where it now holds 107 of the 490 seats, and among trade unions groups. The main interest is focussed on how the party reacts to recent accusations by the powerful Communist Party that the Socialists are trying ! to usurp its traditional position and are betraying the ; alliance between the two groups. The Communist accusations arise from the results in Parliamentary by-elections last week, when Socialist voters apparently balked at voting Communist in run-off polls against Government candidates. A London-based anti-apar-theid group has called on French Socialists to support efforts to stop a South African Rugby Union tour of France next month. Mr Christopher de Broglio, the general secretary of the South African Non-racial Olympic Committee, part of the anti-apartheid movement in Britain, says that he

made the call in a cable to Mr Mitterrand at the Socialist conference in Paris.