Beethoven fan in Kremlin

Press, 26 April 1983, Page 9

Beethoven fan in Kremlin

NZPA Hamburg The Soviet leader, Yuri Andropov, liked vodka and Beethoven, but did not play tennis, he told the Ham-burg-published ‘“Der Spiegel” magazine. His favourite music was classical, not jazz as has been reported, and his favourite composer was the German-born Beethoven. During the rare interview in Moscow, “Spiegel’s” publisher, Mr Rudolf Augstein, had confessed that he had to give up tennis for health reasons, and asked Mr Andropov if he played. “No,” the Soviet Communist Party chief said. “That way it is easier to give it up.” The hour-long interview,which was conducted last , week, was the lead story in “Der Spiegel” today. After a host of questions about nuclear arms and relations with the West, Mr Augstein asked whether he could pose a few personal questions. “Do you love music, and what kind especially?” “Classical music, the old style . . . best of all I like Beethoven, and most of all the (sonata) ‘Pathetique’,” Mr Andropov said. Mr Andropov did not drink whisky, as also has been reported in the West, but rather vodka, and he dresses in “moderate” clothes, Mr Augstein reported. “He is supposed to have said once that he cannot speak English, but he does speak English. He also

understands a little German, which I could detect,” Mr Augstein wrote. Mr Andropov also said that the Soviet Unions may show less restraint in future over expulsions of Soviet diplomats than it did when France ejected 47 officials this month. The interview made it clear for the first time that Moscow regarded FrancoSoviet relations as too important to be jeopardised by diplomatic tit-for-tat actions. “It would have been the easiest thing to take reprisals against French people working in the Soviet Union. In showing restraint, we are allowing ourselves to be guided by the longterm interests of FrancoSoviet relations,” Mr Andropov said. But it was rubbish to suggest that the Soviet Union, by not taking reprisals against France, was indirectly admitting that its diplomats had been spying, he said.

“That doesn’t mean we will tolerate arbitrariness anywhere towards Soviet diplomats and other colleagues who work in our representative offices abroad.”

The printing of the interview was released a few hours after the United States expelled three Soviet officials, and Australia expelled one, bringing the total number of Soviet officials thrown out of Western countries this year to 62.