Brezhnev in buoyant mood

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34087, 26 February 1976, Page 17

Brezhnev in buoyant mood

(N Z P.A Reuter—Copyright

MOSCOW. February 25

In his keynote address at the opening of the Soviet Union Communist Party’s twentyfifth congress, the leader of the party. Mr Leonid Brezhnev, declared: “The foreign policy of the Land of the Soviets has the respect and support of the multi-million popular masses throughout the world, and we will continue this policy with redoubled energy, working to bridle the forces of war and aggression, to consolidate peace, and to ensure the freedom and social progress of the popular masses.”

Mr Brezhnev was addressing 4998 delegates and members of 103 foreign delegations to the assembly in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.

Mr Brezhnev was clearly in a buoyant mood as the congress got under way. After declaring it open in a brief address, he was heard to remark: “Well, that’s one paper I’ve got through.”

He was followed to the rostrum by Mr Mikhail Suslov, a veteran member of the Soviet leadership, who welcomed the representatives of foreign Communist and LeftIwing parties.

The only ruling Communist parties not attending are those of China and Albania.

In his’ main speech, Mr Brezhnev accused Peking of “lining up with the world’s most aggressive forces against peace.” He said that the Soviet Union was opposed to a division of the world into military blocs, but, he declared, the Communist world’s Warsaw Pact alliance “dependably serves the cause of peace and socialism. “As long as the N.A.T.O. military bloc continues to exist, and as long as militarist elements continue their arms drive, our country and the other signatories of the Warsaw Treaty will continue to strengthen this politicalmilitary alliance,” Mr Brezhnev said. Angola reference

Describing the Soviet Union as a pillar of support to peoples fighting for freedom and independence, he said that Angola had recently become “the object of intervention by South Africa and imperialist forces. “That is why the struggle of Angola met with the support of the progressive forces of the whole of mankind." he added. He made no direct reference to Soviet and Cuban military aid to the Popular

Movement for the Liberation of Angola. Mr Brezhnev also said that the present policies of the Chinese leadership “merged directly with the position of the world’s most extreme reaction."

‘Maoist ideology incompatible* “Peking’s frantic attempts’ to torpedo detente, to ob-j struct disarmament, and to breed suspicion and host.il-1 itv between States, and its' efforts to provoke a world' war and reap whatever . ad-1 vantages may accrue, present a great danger for all peace loving peoples,” he said. The Soviet leader hinted that the Kremlin was now determined to have China. ■ under its present leadershin, drummed out of the world Communist movement — a move which many other Communist parties have strongly opposed. “The Soviet Union will continue to oppose China’s incendiarv policy . . . and to protect the interests of the Soviet State, the Socialist Communist and the world Communist movement,” he declared. “Now it is far too little to say that Maoist ideology and policy are incompatible with the Marxist-Leninist teaching. They are directly hostile to it.. . We shall continue the struggle against Maoism — a principled and irreconciliable struggle.”

Of the Kremlin’s relations with the United States. Mr Brezhnev said: “The turn for the better in recent years has, of course, been decisive in reducing the danger of another world war. and in consolidating peace. This has, beyond question, contributed to the improvement of the international climate in general, and that of Europe ii partic ular.

“The essentially-positive development of Soviet-United

States relations in recent ■ years is. however, complicated by a number of serious I factors: influential forces in | the United States which have Ino stake either in improving i relations with the Soviet LhiI ion, or in international dejtente as a whole, are trying to impair it.” Policy on M.E. , Mr Brezhnev went on to Isay that the Soviet Union J was readv to ioin the United (States, Britain, France, and

■ other countries in guarantee ling international frontiers it I the Middle East, but, he said there could be no guarantee of peace as long as Israel' (forces occupied Arab tern Stories.

Mr Brezhnev hinted thatMoscow remained highly! critical of American diplomacy in the area and its! backing for the interim Israeli-Egyptian settlement. There was no hint that Moscow was prepared to reconsider its rejection of a United States proposal for preliminary Geneva peace discussions without the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, but the Soviet Union has said it is ready to hold bilateral discussions with the United States before the Geneva peace conference is reconvened, and Mr Brezhnev at one stave seemed, to be hinting at the possibility of joint action with Washington to curb the flow of Soviet and ■ American arms to the Middle I East.

Mr Brezhnev proposed an international treaty banning the use of force to solve disputes, and said that this

would help to make the danger of war recede still further and create favourable conditions for progress towards disarmament.

"Its participants, natural!) including the nuclear Powers, would undertake to refrain from using all types of weapons. including nuclear ones in settling disputes that might arise among them.” he said Mr Brezhnev’s emphatic assertion that the “peace pro gramme" of co-existence with the West — which he proclaimed at the twenty fourth parts congres-. five years ago — would continut seemed to halt any idea that his policies were being quo tinned inside the Kremlin

Peking attack Apparently to coincide with the opening of the Kremlin assembly. China published a fierce attack on the Soviet Union, accusing it of ian intensified drive for world domination. The New China News Agency quoted a long article in the official “People’s Daily” (in which Soviet policy was I said to amount to "unbridled ; infiltration, intervention, sub version, and sabotage in the ‘hope of controlling and en (slaving the people of the world.

“The Soviet role in the international arena in the last five years is a far cry from ‘striving for lasting peace Instead, ; t has been an intensified scramble for world hegemony in the guise ot detente,” the article said. “ScN'iet expansion and in filtration have a direct bearing on the turmoil in Europe, the Middle East. South Asia, southern Africa and elsewhere in the world. “The Soviets have increased troops and renovated weapons and equipment in East Europe, stirred up trouble in South Europe and the Balkans, infiltrated into Portugal and other countries, and strengthened their military build-up in North Europe, thus greatly straining and complicating the situation throughout the Continent.

“At present, the Soviet Union is engaged in unbridled in Angola. “This ambitious superpower. which takes on a truculent offensive posture in its contention with United States imperialism, is adventurous. and is the most dan gerous source of a new wond war."