Democratic Palestine : 27 (ص 45)
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- Democratic Palestine : 27 (ص 45)
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Soviet —US Summit
On December 8 th _ 1987, the
Secretary-General of the CPSU
Mikhail S. Gorbachev and US Presi-
dent Ronald Reagan signed in
Washington a treaty eliminating
medium-range and_ shorter-range
nuclear missiles. Under the terms of the
agreement, the United States will
eliminate about 850 medium- and
shorter-range missiles, and the Soviet
Union will scrap about 1,750 missiles
over all. Describing the event, Mr.
Gorbachev said that December 8, 1987
was «a date that will be inscribed in
history». (International Herald
Tribune, Dec. 9, 1987)
The total number of these missiles to
be eliminated over three years repre-
sents despite the large number, only 4%
of the world nuclear arsenal. But the
great importance of this treaty lies in
the fact that it is the first treaty ever to
eliminate an entire class of offensive
nuclear arms. The treaty also represents
a historical precedent that confirms the
realistic possibility to eliminate nuclear
arms and other arms of annihilation.
Forty two years after the US dropped
its first A-bomb on Hiroshima, in-
itiating the nuclear arms race, the treaty
now comes as a new hope for humanity
to eliminate all classes of nuclear
weapons, and as «The first step down
the road leading to a _ nuclear-free
world» as Mr. Gorbachev remarked.
(IHT, Dec, 9, 1987).
Product of the New Thinking
This historical treaty represents the
first outcome, on the international
level, of the 3-year-old new political
thinking in the Soviet Union. In con-
trast to the US’s continuing in the SDI
program, the Soviet Union has called
for a halt to all programs aiming at
developing and expanding nuclear
arms, and to start negotiations to
eliminate these arms. These peaceful
Orientations were materialized in the
Soviet Union’s unilateral moratorium
on nuclear testing, which started in
August 1985. Despite the Soviet
Union’s appeals for the US to join this
moratorium, the US continued its
nuclear testing, unmoved by the world-
wide condemnation. And on January
15, 1986, the Soviet Union called for
the elimination of all nuclear arms and
other arms of annihilation before the
year 2000, in addition to banning the
militarization of outer space. The US
rejected this plan when it was discussed
at the Gorbachev-Reagan summit in
Reykjavik, held on October 11-12 th,
1986.
In Feburary 1987, the Soviet Union
suggested having a treaty to eliminate
all medium-range and _ shorter-range
nuclear weapons in Europe, while
discussions continue to prepare a treaty
for reducing nuclear strategic arsenals.
The US acceptance of the Soviet
Union’s proposals concerning the
medium- and shorter-range missiles,
paved the way for the Soviet and US
negotiators in Geneva last April to
outline drafts for this treaty. On Oc-
tober 30, 1987, the Soviet Union’s
foreign minister, Edward Shevardnadze
and US secretary of state, George
Schultz, signed the draft of this treaty,
Opening the road for the Dec. 7 sum-
mit in Washington.
Several factors have forced the
Reagan administration to take the first
step downtheroad of eliminating nuclear
weapons, what it had rejected for
decades. The US ruling class realized
the difficulties facing its dreams of
becoming the dominant force in this
world. The Soviet Union and the
socialist countries have established a
defensive force capable of deterring the
US—Nato military forces. This was
manifested in the final
US—Soviet declaration, which em-
phasized that nuclear war should never
break out and that in such a war there
are no winners.
In addition, the heavy economic and
financial burdens of the arms race af-
fects not only the Soviet Union but the
US as well. This is clearly seen in the
economic crisis of the capitalist world
in general and of the US in particular,
manifested in the increased deficits of
the US budget and trade balance and
the stockmarket’s crash.
The consistent peaceful Soviet in-
itiatives have added another factor.
These initiatives gained world-wide
support and have embarrassed the US
«peaceful» rhetoric. And finally,
Ronald Reagan is in his last year as the
joint.
president of the US, had failed for the
past 7 years to strike a success in his
foreign policies. And aspiring to win
the Nobel peace prize, Reagan
responded positively to Gorbachev’s
proposals concerning medium-range
and shorter-range missiles.
Regional Conflicts
The subjects discussed at the summit
included, in addition to the nuclear
arms issue, the regional conflicts and
the human rights issues. But the two
sides have failed to score a success in
neither the regional conflicts issue or
the issue of human rights. This was due
to the US’ continued stubborn stand
which views the solution to these con-
flicts in terms of US interests and the
interests of its allies.
Concerning the Middle East conflict,
the US attempted to sidestep this issue,
concentrating instead on tlhe
Afghanistan and Gulf war conflicts.
The Soviet Union reconfirmed its posi-
tion concerning the Middle Eat con-
flict, and renewed its call for the con-
vening of an international peace con-
ference with the participation of the
five permanent members of the UN
Security Council and all concerned
parties including the PLO on equal
footing as the sole legitimate represen-
tative of the Palestinian people. In his
press conference in Washington before
leaving the US, Gorbachev indicated
that he had asked the US President to
rethink the stand of the Reagan ad-
ministration concerning the interna-
tional conference. But this call was re-
jcted by the Reagan administration.
Undoubtedly, the reason behind the
absence of the Middle East conflict on
the agenda of the regional conflicts is
due to the Arab regimes’ positions and
particularly to the results of the Am-
man summit which considered the
Middle East conflict a second priority
to the Gulf war problem.
As for the other regional conflicts,
the US rejected the Soviet proposal to
form a UN naval force to guarantee the
freedom of navigation in the Gulf. And
the US administration rejected as well a
halt to its military and financial sup-
port to the counterrevolutionaries in
Afghanistan, despite the Soviet Union’s
declared readiness to withdraw its
troops from Afghanistan. @
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