Chernenko low-key

Press, 5 March 1984, Page 10

Chernenko low-key

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The first main speech by the new Soviet leader, Konstantin Chernenko, had been notable for its low-key tone on United States-Soviet relations, as well as its erratic and faltering delivery, Western diplomats said at the week-end.

They were commenting on Mr Chernenko’s address, given at a Kremlin meeting on Friday, before elections for the Supreme Soviet today. He called for a drastic change in United StatesSoviet relations, based on Washington’s replacing words with deeds.

“The speech,- especially in the foreign policy part, was noticeably low-key compared with a'month ago and over the past .15 months (of Yuri Andropov’s . leadership),” one Western envoy said.

“There was even a mention of detente — we have not heard that word very often recently,” he said. .In his speech, delivered falteringly and at times all but inaudibly, Mr Chernenko said that detente had struck deep roots and that that had been proved by the Stockholm conference on disarmament

At one stage Mr Chernenko lost his place for 30 seconds and shuffled his papers nervously before continuing, omitting a page-

and-a-half of text. Another diplomat said that the tone of Mr Chernenko’s speech had partly reflected his style, derived in part from the late Soviet President, Leonid Brezhnev, an advocate of detente in the 19705. , Mr Chernenko said that Moscow had always been in favour of a “search for mutually acceptable practical solutions to concrete questions for the benefit of both countries.” In Washington the State Department said that it welcomed that, although it disagreed with other parts of his 50-minute speech. Western diplomats said that Mr Chernenko had gone no further than repeating standard criticisms of the United States and had omitted some of the harsher phrases heard during the Andropov period. The toughest phrases in his speech accused Washington of blatant militarism and claims of world domination. “What he does not do is put in a heavy dose of scepticism. He was also not too precise about Soviet preconditions for dialogue,” one diplomat said. “His speech did not give any clear evidence of a change in policy. What sounded like a new move on chemical weapons verifica-

tion had, in fact, been made already at the Geneva conference (on disarmment),” another diplomat said. Mr Chernenko, who appeared breathless at times and took frequent sips of tea, called on Washington to move from words to deeds and thus give the signal for a change in relations.

Most of Mr Chernenko’s address was devoted to domestic affairs. It ranged from a pledge to continue Mr Andropov’s limited economic reforms to the first announcement since 1980 of the Soviet grain harvest figures. He said that the 1983 harvest had been more than IM million tonnes. The official Government target for the year was 238 million tonnes.

Not only would he carry on the economic reforms, he said, he would also ensure that the anti-corruption drive — closely associated with Mr Andropov — continued “undeviatingly.” Western diplomats said that although Mr Chernenko was probably not dictating foreign or economic policy in the ruling Politburo, he had placed his stamp on the leadership. “That stamp ” one. diplomat said, “is one of continuity. Not just following on from Mr Andropov but from Brezhnev, as well.”