Pro-Soviet coup bid ‘foiled’

Press, 12 June 1978, Page 8

Pro-Soviet coup bid ‘foiled’

NZPA Beirut

| Iraq has stopped an at--1 tempt by pro-Soviet Com'munists to overthrow the Government of President Ahmed Hassan Bakr, accordling to well-informed Arab diplomats.

A campaign is under way to purge the Iraqi Army of Communist and Marxist elements, the diplomats say. Iraq has confirmed reports by East European sources that 21 soldiers have been executed and 10 sentenced to prison for trying to set up secret Communist cells in the armed forces. Naim Haddad, a member

of Iraq’s 21-man ruling Revolutionary Command CounIcil, reported the sentences to (correspondents visiting Baghjdad last week. The stateI controlled press agency also (carried the story. ( Mr Haddad denied that the [Government was about to (abrogate the treaty of [friendship and co-operation 1 concluded with the Soviet [Union in 1972, but he said that the Russians must not [interfere in Iraq’s internal’ ’affairs. East European sources in (Beirut said that economic! (co-operation between the>tw countries had greatly l 1 declined. Iraqi officials now (say that Soviet and East European technology is not good enough for Iraqi development projects and that they do not need it in any (case, because they have- ; enough money from oil reve-, nues to buy American and (West European technology. Iraq gets $13,000 million I (annually from oil as a result(of the nationalisation of (Western-owned oil companies six vears ago. Before (that it was almost entirely -dependent on Soviet economic aid. Economic analysts in Beirut say the decline in Iraqi(Soviet relations began after 'lraq repaid some Soviet -loans in oil shipments, and the Russians resold the oil on the world market at -dumping prices. Soviet warships, once [frequent visitors to the Gulf (port of Basra, now make (few calls, and most of the 2000 Russian military technicians who have been training Iraqis to use advanced lSoviet arms, have now gone -home.