U.K. Communist hits out at Afghanistan invasion

Press, 2 March 1981, Page 9

U.K. Communist hits out at Afghanistan invasion

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The British Communist leader, Gordon McLennan, asserted his party’s independence and opposed Moscow’s move into Afghanistan at the week-end from the rostrum. of the Soviet Communist Party congress. His reference to Afghanistan, the, first since the Congress opened on Monday, was censored by the official Tass hews agency which carried the full text of his speech, but misquoted him. Mr McLennan was the first .West European “Eurocommiihist” to address the Congress in the Kremlin and Western sources said he was allowed to deliver his speech In full.

He told delegates: “The Independence and sover-.

eignty of each Communist Party is the essential basis for relations between our parties and is vital to the principles of internationalism and to solidarity between communist parties. “Differences can and do exist in the communist movement , on certain questions, including Afghanistan, and our views on this question are well known.” The remark as carried by Tass in its English language version of the text, ran: “Differences can and do exist in the international com-

mu .t. movement on certain questions . . ~ and our views on these questions are well known.” The reference to Afghanistan was the first public hint of opposition among Eurocommunist parties to the Soviet take-over in the country in December, 1979., Gian Carlo Pajetta, leading a delegation from the Italian Communist Party, Western Europe’s biggest, was not allowed to address the congress and spoke instead at a separate gathering in Moscow.