Mordet på Olof Palme - 28 februari 1986

ConflictPM050842 Stockholm DAGENS NYHETER in Swedish 30 Nov 85 p 8[Dispatch by Ake Ekdahl: "Head-On Collision at Zone Meeting Opening"][Excerpt] Copenhagen—The disagreements between the Nordic Social Democratsand the Nordic Conservative Parties on the possibility of creating a nuclear-free zone in the Nordic area were revealed with unexpected clarity at thefirst major conference of parliamentarians on the zone issue.Some 150 elected representatives from all 5 Nordic parliaments and from some50 political parties met yesterday in the Landsting chamber in Christiansborgto assess popular demand for a zone arrangement. 46
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The meeting began with a head-on collision between the two opening speakers,Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and Jo Benkow of the Norwegian ConservativeParty.The subsequent between the two—a proper quarrel.Palme declared that he is an optimist and believes in continued progress onthe zone talks. He sees a clear difference between the possibility ofcreating a zone today and the possibility of doing so a few years ago.The background to these hopes is that the peoples of the Nordic area havedeclared that they want a nuclear-free zone, that the problems are no longerbeing denied, that the international climate is better, and the fact thatthere were positive signals from the Geneva summit.Palme attached great importance to the fact that the two top leaders from thesuperpowers jointly stated that nuclear arms are militarily unusable.The Swedish prime minister also declared that he wants to work to promote theFinnish proposal for a joint Nordic investigation into a nuclear-free zone. Adecision in this direction could come at the Nordic prime ministers' meetingin Helsinki in December.Palme was also optimistic about Soviet concessions on nuclear arms in theBaltic, nuclear arms targeted on the territory of the Nordic countries andnuclear arms deployed in the immediate vicinity of the Nordic area."NATO has made concessions on nuclear arms in the Nordic area; I assume thatthe Soviet Union is prepared to make corresponding concessions.But thispresupposes that the superpowers see the zone as advantageous to theirinterests."Palme said that he found the zone debate uninteresting up to the day when theSoviet Union declared that it was prepared for discussions on the nuclear armsin the vicinity of the Nordic area. Then the discussion became morerealistic, Palme said."In my heart of hearts I do not believe that Benkow is like an unchangingpillar of salt in the desert, but that he too views these developments with acertain optimism."Benkow also said that he is an optimist and also fundamentally an advocate ofa nuclear-free zone, but he also considers himself to be more of a realistthan Palme."Fine words and political incantations do not solve any problems," he said.He found it difficult to have as much confidence in the Russians as Palme andsaid that a different geographical deployment of the nuclear arms would not 47
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increase Nordic security from one moment to the next. Nor could Benkow seeany signs of any Soviet willingness to make concessions."The most serious mistake would be if the Nordic area were to begin negotia-tions with one of the superpowers."However, Palme and Benkow were able to agree that negotiations with the SovietUnion would first require agreement within the Nordic area so that it would bepossible for the Nordic countries to act jointly.But even the road to a joint Nordic stance seems long and difficult—that wasshown by the first day's debate in Copenhagen.Even though this was the parliamentarians' own conference the government'sguest speakers and observers stole the show on the first day.Palme's speech was characterized by great caution. He said that the continuedwork against nuclear arms could take place through applying pressure on thenuclear powers, to get them to remember their particular responsibility forpeace and security, but also through discussions of how we can preventincreased tension in the Nordic area."We are not striving to give any side an advantage, but to ensure oursecurity."Palme, like the majority of other participants, stressed the importance ofkeeping the zone debate alive, despite divisions in the various Nordiccountries.We must take as our point of departure the respect for each Nordic country'sright to decide itself which policy best serves its national interests. Letus capitalize on our common desire to preserve the calm of the Nordic area.Let us prevent the growth of new areas of confrontation between the superpowerblocs. All the Nordic countries have derived benefit from the securitypolicy pattern which has prevailed in the Nordic area in the postwar period,Palme said