World faces dangerous time—Soviet Marshal

Press, 27 September 1982, Page 9

World faces dangerous time—Soviet Marshal

NZPA-Reuter Vienna

Soviet Marshal. Viktor Kulikov, head of the Warsaw Pact’s armed forces, said in an interview published yesterday at the start of massive East bloc manoeuvres that the world faced the most dangerous situation since World War Two. Marshal Kulikov, quoted by the Bulgarian Communist Party official newspaper “Rabotnichesko Delo,” also said that the United States saw the threat of a new war as a basic means of achieving its “hegemonic aims.” Earlier, the official Bulgarian news agency B.T.A. said that 60,000 troops would take part in Warsaw Pact manoeuvres. codenamed “Shield 82,” in Bulgaria and the Black Sea under the

command of the Bulgarian National Defence Minister, Mr Dobri Dzhurov.

“Never before in the years after World War Two has the situation been so serious and dangerous,” B.T.A. quoted Marshal Kulikov as telling the paper. The military power of N.A.T.O. and the Warsaw Pact countries were relatively balanced and N.A.T.O. did not lag behind in military strength as it claimed, he said.

The Warsaw Pact countries never had and never would have any intentions of creating the potential for the first nuclear strike, he was quoted as saying. The Warsaw treaty guaranteed the preservation of peace, he added. The Yugoslav news agency

Tanjug quoted Bulgarian General Kiral Kosev as saying: "The manoeuvres are our • internal thing, not directed against anybody, and we do not w’ant to threaten anybody.” ” . Tanjug said that the Bui- = garian authorities had warned people not to drive east of a line drawn. down, the centre of the country' until October 1 when the manoeuvres are due to. fin-' ish. "''' 'i.-; ■

Warsaw Pact Defence Ministers are expected to arrive for the manoeuvres.

Earlier this month, the official Soviet news agency Tass said that the manoeuvres would test combat teamwork and ’ the cooperation of, the' staffs and troops of the pact’s allies.