Not Fooled by Rhetoric

Perhaps the main factor which counted against Castro's summit ambitions was the experience which increasing numbers of no aligned countries are having with the Soviets. With Soviet/Cuban joint ventures like Angola, Eritrea, South and North Yemen, and Soviet/Vietnamese joint ventures into Kampuchea and Laos, plus military involvement in Afghanistan, the Kurile Islands in Japan, and other trouble spots around the world, many countries are becoming increasingly worried.

None so much as Singapore, whose Foreign Minister, Mr Rajaratnam, led the move to have Pol Pot retain the Kampuchean seat despite Cuba's desperate attempts to allot it to the Vietnamese installed regime of Heng Samrin. The Singaporeans pointed out that "...if we expel Democratic Kampuchea, then this conference is officially endorsing aggression, alignment in great power conflicts, and worse still, adding fuel to the proxy war that is going on in Indochina."

Even if Castro does exert influence on the Movement in the next three years to swing it towards Soviet foreign policy, it will only be a paper victory. What really goes on in the Non-Aligned Movement is determined by the stances of individual nations. There is no way that non-aligned countries who sit on the Soviet firing line will look kindly on Castro's efforts.

The final word went to one of the veteran battlers of the movement — Julius Nyrere of Tanzania. He made it clear in his speech that no one power was the 'natural ally' of the Movement. He and others can be expected, over the three years until the next summit, to continue to dispel the Soviet concocted theory that can only split the Movement and fuel Russia's already overstimulated ambitions in the world.

David Murray.