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OF SOLIDARITY pemphler from the Socialist Forum for Southern Africa 4Op plus 20p postage. availahle via Socialist THERE ARE a number of national papers that are not interested in publicising what is going on in Poland.

They are concerned for -they would say international peace, but I would substitute the word 'trade' for "peace' Recently I saw • a very interesting book, Vodka Cola' [by Charles Levinson), about the connections between Western industrialists and the rulers in the Eastern bloc. That seems to be the only explanation.

For example - if you analyse the way the Western press, especially the English press, reported August 31, you'll find they said that it was inconclusive and that the demonstrations were not as big as Solidarity hoped for. Then a few days later, a Polish government spokesman said that demonstrations were held in 55 cities.

There are only 49 big cities in Poland - so there had been demonstrations virtually everywhere. The Polish government said there were about 100,000 people participating in those demonstrations.

The press also plays down the repression. It's not just that they kill a few people on the street. We have very detailed information on torture being used on a massive scale in Polana, and indiscriminate use of substances like paralysing gases. A number of people have been killed under interrogation in police stations and prisons.

We still don't understand why a large section of the British Left appears to think that bad things happen only in South America or South Africa. It's not to belittle the fight they have - they have an important fight, and we're all for that.

Horrible things happen in South Africa, and we know it. But also horrible things happen in Poland.

There has been press peculation in Der Spiegel about bringing KGB units ato Poland for November 10.. That's an absurd nonmise. The Polish secret servse a order in dare:

TherE I spest Polish. I know it r=] - Ire been interrogated Marek Garztecki of the Solidarity Trade Union Working Group spoke to Socialist Organiser a number of times by Polish police. The KGB have been in for 37 years! I've seen them!

My mother-was in prison for three years, and my father for five, and they were tortured, in the Stalinist period. They told me that the language they were interrogated in was Russian.

We don't know exactly what will happen on November 10. But certainly there will be massive protests. Every time Solidarity has called for a protest, there has been a protest.

The workers are getting more angry with every passing month. If you look at Solidarity communiques coming out of Poland, the emphasis has changed drastically. There is much less talk of national agreement, and more understanding that it sit at the die table as the people who are killing same lable as and torturing workers.

Probably this is being recognised on the government side as well. There are already some leaks from Poland that Jaruzelski might be replaced.

Everyone knows now that Jaruzelski is a murderer. His hands are blood-stained. You know that Poland is a Catholic country, and Christianity is a big influence, but I can't imagine my comrades are such good Christians that they will forgive him everyGrabski is a close friend of Olzowski, who is presented as an arch hard liner in the Western press. But the same Olzowski who challenged Kania and Jaruzelski from a hard-line position, also previously challenged Gierek from a liberal position and made overtures to the opposition. So these challenges are artificial - the divisions are just one more sign that Jaruzelski is a failure.

[About the strikes on the banning of Solidarnosc:] Just one day before the strike broke in Gdansk, the regional committee of Solidarity issued an appeal saying:

"At present, we consider it too early to start a general strike. The time is not yet right...

The fact that the workers started the strike shows that they are very impatient. They've had enough and they're ready for very drastic action. But on the other hand - and I wouldn't like to say it as a criticism - the strikes might also show that there are still problems with coordination and organisation.

On 1 Wednesday November 10, the underground Solidarnosc leadership has called for an eight hour protest strike.

And the International Transport Workers' Federation has called for sympathy action on the same day, such as blacking of Polish trade and ships. "call seems to have got no Unfortunately the ITWF further than putting out a press release. But activists in unions like the TGWU, affiliated to the ITWF, can use the call to help organise support for practical action.

UPON the mangled bodies and shaltered ruins created by Israel's invasion of Lebanon, the Reagan adninistration is attemptin vith barely disguised gle lo construct a new, reactionary 'peace' in the Middle Last at the expense of the Palestinian and Arab masses.

The Us warmongers beleve that the heavy military defeats inflicted by the Israels upon the PLO, the Lebanese left militias and the Syrian forces outside Lebanon, now create tavourable conditions to force humiliating concessions from the conservative leaders of the Arab regimes.

With brazen arrogance, one State Department offi summed up the administration's attitude to the new balance of forces in the Middle East:

''We believe the time has come to stop talking about talking about peace and start sitting down at the table, negotiating directly between and Arabs and the United States" [Newsweek, 1.11.82].

It is clear from the outset that each of these thre components of Reagan' Loposea peace talks hav different mmediate jectives and material inter. ests - and that in the presehe pose of developments most decisive of three is the USA.

It was hand in glove with US strategists that Israel's Zionist rulers embarked upon their bloody invasion of Lebanon with the combined objective of inflicting a blow on the Gemayel (lett) wants Reagan's PLO, smashing its armed alliance with the Lebanese left, and thus opening the way to a stable right wing regime and the reconstruction of the armed forces in Lebanon.

Reagan's men are delighted at the way Gemayel has turned towards the US and at his skillfully judged displays of apparent independence from Israel, which should endear him to Arab rulers, and secure their financial support.

But even his displays of 'independence' fit in neatly with the US objective of restoring a strong state apparatus in Lebanon. Gemayel has called for the withdrawal of Israeli as well as Syrian and PLO troops from Lebanon - but has combined this with an appeal for a long-term presence of a vast multi-national 'peace-keeping' force troops to stay of upwards of 30,000 troops.

His visit to Washington brought detailed discussion on a rapid build-up of American arms supplies, and a possible expansion of the present 1,200-strong US contingent in the, multinational force in Beirut.

The idea of a large-scale build-up would be to enable the force to carry out operations elsewhere in Lebanon. Already in Beirut French troops have assisted the Lebanese army in massive raids and arrests on Palestinians and Lebanese left-wingers - while of course mounting no attack on the Phalangist This is the kind of 'peace' that Gemayel and his US Lebanon. And to get it, sponsors want to see in they are prepared to talk of US and other troops renvjs Iemaining stationed in the country for two years or more.

There is no real contradiction between such plans and also discussing formulae for withdrawal of Israeli, Syrian and PLO forces from Lebanon.

The Zionists themselves have put forward a threestage plan which begins with evacuation of the 8,000 PLO guerillas still in the country (including many evacuated from Beirut who have re-entered in the North or in the Beka'a Valley), and envisages a two step withdrawal of Syrian and Israeli forces.

In exchange they want a guarantee of security of the border with Israel and permanent exclusion of Syrian troops and PLO guerrillas.

The Zionists look first and foremost to the reconstruction of the Lebanese armed forces and state machine as the means to achieve this objective.

But this same immediate objective is also tacitly supported by the rightwing Arab regimes, who saw the powerful fighting alliance between the PLO and the Lebanese left as a greater threat to their political stability than the Phalangist right wing.

The wealthy Saudi and Kuwaiti and other Arab League regimes financially sponsored the 30,000strong Syrian presence as a move to control this situation in Lebanon.

They can now be expected to channel hefty sums with the begging bowl extended by Gemayel for the reconstruction of the Lebanese army and econ-

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