Kremlin silence on Rumanian warning

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 9

Kremlin silence on Rumanian warning

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet Union stayed silent at the week-end on a worsening dispute with its Warsaw Pact ally, Rumania, but hit back at Western charges that its official figure for military spending was below the real level. The Soviet media made no reference to a fighting speech in Bucharest on Saturday by the Rumanian President Mr Nicolae Ceausescu) warning Moscow not to interfere in his country’s affairs. President Ceausescu repeated for the fifth time in seven days that he was rejecting Soviet demands for increased defence spending by the seven Warsaw Pact countries.

Moscow television’s main ne vs programmes passed

over Mr Ceausescu’s speech in silence, though they gave prominence to reports from Sofia and East Berlin that Bulgaria and East Germany had given their backing for the results of last month’s Warsaw Pact summit meeting in Moscow. Mr Ceausescu said there; was a pressing need to decrease military activity in Europe by both Soviet bloc countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

“It might be useful to create a zone between the two blocs where neither side should locate armies and weapons or hold military manoeuvres,” he declared. A statement from the Kremlin said the defence potenttial of the Warsaw Pact would have to be strengthened to counter what it called the arms race whipped up by the West.

The reference to highe military budgets came afte President Ceausescu' speech, and earlier Sovit commentaries on the summi meeting made no referenc to the subject. Mr Ceausescu’s speed indicated that Rumania wa prepared to press it differences with its allie further at a meeting o Warsaw Pact Defenc Ministers later this month. The meeting in Eas Berlin was announced in th< Soviet press on Saturday fo; the first half of Decembr but there was no clue tc the military issues on the agenda

A Tass news agency commentary has attacked the West for suggesting that the Soviet defence budget for next year, announced last Wednesday, did not give the truth about the Kremlin’s military spending.