‘Gorbachev fooling the world’

Press, 22 December 1987, Page 8

‘Gorbachev fooling the world’

NZPA-Reuter London The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, is fooling the whole world and subversion and terrorism in Chile are traceable to Moscow, the Chilean President, Augusto Pinochet, said in a rare interview. The "Sunday Telegraph” interview with the 72-year-old army general was billed as the first he has given a. British journalist for 10 years. “The evil is managed by Moscow,” General Pinochet told the “Telegraph.” “Gorbachev is making

a fool out .of everybody — in the whole world; he is as communist as Stalin and Lenin were.” General Pinochet toppled the elected Marxist Government of Salvador Allende in September, 1973. He plans for military rule to be replaced by a form of democracy in 1989 when Chileans will vote on a Presidential candidate nominated by military chiefs. Asked whether the Chilean elections would be accompanied by terrorism, he said that Moscow would issue orders to “cut terrorism, for tactical purposes so as not to frighten people.”

The “Telegraph” said General Pinochet made clear that he would do everything in his power to prevent a return of socialism in Chile, but he thought “a long time will be necessary before Democrats realise they are being infiltrated from the extreme Left.” General Pinochet, whose Government has been ostracised by many others because of persistent allegations of human rights abuses, said it was “a problem of time to get over the torture image.” Various Western public relations companies had offered to improve the Chilean image, “but I

refused; I would rather spend the pesos on the welfare of the Chileans.” He said “there has not been torture” in Chile under his rule, and that the Government would in future, “reject every harsh measure.” The Chilean leader, whose free-market economic policies have won praise from the international financial community, said he agreed with the radical economic policies of the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. “It is comforting to know that our successes are being repeated in other countries,” he said.