Soviets restore link

Press, 24 May 1985, Page 6

Soviets restore link

NZPA-AP Moscow The Soviet Union is slowly restoring direct telephone dialling to the West, a service that started with the 1980 Olympic Games but was discontinued two years later. West German businesses were among the first to regain direct dialling last year. At least three United States businesses recently received it and five more expect it within weeks. The loss of direct dialling has been a sore point for businesses and has been a main subject raised by Government delegations in trade talks. The issue was addressed again this week by the American Commerce Secretary, Mr Malcolm Baldrige, wbjj left Moscow yesterday , after attending the first (

meeting of the AmericanSoviet joint commercial commission • in seven years. Mr Baldrige said several “not very glamorous” but important steps were being taken by both sides to improve trade. United States Embassy officials said direct dialling started after the Soviets purchased equipment from France for the 1980 Olympics. Two summers later, it abruptly stopped. “I remember the day well,” said a diplomat. “It was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon on September 3, and everybody seemed to have noticed it about the same time. It immediately sparked rumours that Leonid Brezhnev had died.” Brezhnev (the then Soviet leader) had died in Novem-

ber, 1982. The Soviet Union said direct dialling was halted for “technical reasons,” ranging from repairs to needing the switching equipment for domestic service.

Westerners had other opinions. The European Economic Community vigorously complained that the suspension violated the 1975 Helsinki Accords on European Security and Co-opera-tion.

Some diplomats speculated that the service was cut to remove one channel by which news from dissidents gets to the West. One businessman said he believed the Ministry of Communications just never got its billing procedures together and so foreigners were making many calls free.-