"Soviet Leader Accuses West of Encouraging Nationalism Among Soviet Ethnic Groups"

The Kremlin's No. 2 man said Wednesday the Soviet Union's opponents are trying to stop its reform program by encouraging nationalism among Soviet ethnic groups.

Yegor Ligachev, the Communist Party propaganda chief who ranks second only to Mikhail S. Gorbachev, told a special conference of senior media and propaganda officials that Soviet opponents are changing and unifying their tactics, the Tass news agency said.

"On realizing that the Soviet Union will emerge from the restructuring even stronger than it is now and that the attractive force of socialism is growing, these opponents have started gathering into a single front all reactionary forces with the aim of impeding or, if possible, torpedoing our policy of accelerations, renewal, and democratization," it said.

"Special hopes are being pinned on rekindling nationalistic sentiments," it said.

In the last nine months there have been nationalistic disturbances and demonstrations in the Soviet Union by Kazakhs, Crimean Tatars and residents of the three Baltic republics.

Ligachev did not identify the opponents he was talking about. On September 10, KGB chief Viktor Chebrikov accused Western intelligence agencies of trying to foment discontent among the Soviet Union's ethnic groups...

Soviet media accused Western radio stations of spurring the protests that took place in the Baltic stales of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia on Aug. 23 to protest the non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that led to the Soviet takeover of those republics in the 1940's.

Ligachev, who is thought to take a more cautious approach than Gorbachev to some reforms, also cautioned the media officials and propagandists against taking Gorbachev's policy of Glasnost, or greater openness, too far.

He said some publications, which he did not identify, have a one-sided approach to history and only publish material that agrees with their point of view.

He urged them to respect the accomplishments of previous generations of Soviets and the opinions of those who disagree with them.

[Armenian Reporter. New York, September J 7,1987]