‘Soviet offer on Jews’

Press, 28 May 1979, Page 8

‘Soviet offer on Jews’

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The veteran Jewish activist, Alexander Lerner, says Soviet officials have offered to relax emigration restrictions and consider releasing 12 prisoners in return for a favourable public statement from leading Moscow Jews. Professor Lerner, who has been denied permission to emigrate since 1971, told Western reporters that the offer had been passed on to him by the Australian tradeunion chief, Bob Hawke, who held talks last week with Mr Alexei Shebayev, head of the State Trade Union organisation. An Australian Embassy spokesman declined to comment on Professor Lerner’s report, but confirmed that Mr Hawke, who has long

worked for Jewish interests, had discussed Jewish emigration with Soviet officials. Mr Hawke came to Moscow from Israel last Tuesday and left on Saturday. Professor Lerner said he and his fellow-activists, Viktor Brailovsky and Vladimir Prestil, had provided a statement welcoming the reported assurances as a positive change in Soviet emigration policy. The 66-year-old former mathematics professor said unidentified high Soviet officials had told Mr Hawke that in return for the statement they would consider setting a limit of five years to the time any applicant waited for permission. Those who had already waited longer would be allowed to leave.

The officials had also indicated that 12 Jewish prisoners, whose names were provided by the activists, might be released. Professor Lerner said.

The list included Anatoly Shcharansky, sentenced last July to 13 years imprisonment on spying charges; an exiled activist, Vladimir Slepak; and other alleged prisoners of conscience.

Western diplomats were sceptical that the Russians would have given Mr Hawke firm assurances, especially over the matter of the prisoners.

The Soviet Union denies that it holds any political prisoners, and maintains that Jewish campaigners work closely with the United States Central Intelligence Agency.