Non-aggression pacts

Press, 26 February 1983, Page 14

Non-aggression pacts

Sir.—ln answer to M. Creel (February 22), governments agree “we face annihilation" (United Nations. June, 1978) but have been unable to make progress to reduce the threat. As the Soviet Peace Committee works within the structure of government foreign and defence policy it is seen as semiofficial, rather than independent. Thus any good it may do is diluted by the usual paranoid suspicions of the cold war. With the failure of governments to arrest the drift toward holocaust, it is time to support independent, creative initiatives from any quarterincluding the Moscow-based Group of Trust, whose original, intelligent proposals were reported in “The Press." of June 17. 1982. Our committee proposed Washington be added to Moscow, as declared nuclear-weapon-free zones, twin cities. Rather than focus on the respective guilt of Russia and the United States, propose positive steps by New Zealand and others to break the diplomatic log jam—such as a nuclear-weapon-free zone for New’ Zealand with positive neutrality and peacemaking.—Yours, etc., LARRY ROSS. Secretary, N.Z. Nuclear Free Zone Committee. February 24. 1983.

Sir. — Mark Sadler, who disclaimed support for the United States, now argues that the “first use of nuclear weapons" policy of America is justified to deter Russia from moving into Iran and other countries. The Bolsheviks believed that, to obtain their aims of socialist justice, world revolution was essential and 66 years of repeated invasions and threats certainly prevented the Soviet State from "withering

away.” Conversely the injustice of supranational capitalism needs world domination to soften chronic crisis with expanding markets. Peace-loving America demands a “zero” option for nuclear arms control. Russia must withdraw x weapons in exchange for the United States not installing x new’ weapons in Europe, with all the intermediate range missiles of America’s N.A.T.O. satellites not being counted. That would, of course, destroy the high-sounding, but meaningless “zero" equation. — Yours, etc.. VARIAN J. WILSON. February 22, 1983.