The July 23 Revolution and pacts (32). Soviet reaction to the Baghdad Pact (i). ‘Pressure and threats'. The Korean War (June 1950 July 1953) had marked a shift in the focal point of the Cold War, from postwar Europe to East Asia. After this point, proxy battles in the Third World would become an ever-important arena of superpower competition. In such an international setting, the Soviet Union relished in its role as the leader of the anti-imperialist camp. Nikita Khrushchev, the new dynamic, reformist leader of the Soviet Union, was a committed Marxist-Leninist focused on broadening Moscow's policy by establishing new relations with India and other key non-aligned, noncommunist states in the Third World. In denouncing the Baghdad Pact, Moscow left no stone unturned to make her opposition look primarily as defence of the independence and freedom of oppressed peoples. The Egyptian Gazette of April 17, 1955 published a statement issued by the USSR (Soviet) Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatening to bring the Middle East situation before the UN. The statement accused Western policy of using ‘pressure and threats' to establish military blocs. The Gazette report said: “The Soviet Union cannot remain indifferent to the situation arising in the region of the Near and Middle East, since the formation of these blocs and the establishment of foreign military bases on the territory of the countries of the Near and Middle East have a direct bearing on the security of the USSR, the statement said. “The statement accused the Western powers of ‘striving towards the colonial enslavement of these countries by means of setting up military groupings in the Middle and South East. It added that Western powers were camouflaging the aggressive character of their plans by clumsy lies of a Soviet threat to the countries of this area. This threat did exist; but it arises not from the Soviet Union but from powers which, under the pretext of guaranteeing security, by setting up aggressive blocs in the Near and Middle East. These Western powers were trying to involve the countries of the Near and Middle East in aggressive blocs, on the false pretext that this is in the interests of the defence of the countries of this area. “If the policy of pressure and threats with regard to the countries of the Near and Middle East is continued, the question should be examined by the United Nations Organisation. Upholding the cause of peace, the Soviet government will defend the freedom and independence of the countries of the Near and Middle East and will oppose interference in their domestic affairs, the statement said. “The situation in the Near and Middle East has worsened in the last two years. The explanation of this is that certain Western powers have been making new attempts to draw the countries of the Near and Middle East into the military groupings which are being set up to supplement the aggressive North Atlantic bloc. . . . “After the plan of creating a so-called Middle Eastern bloc had failed in 1951 through the opposition met within the countries of the Near and Middle East, the US and Great Britain undertook measures to include these countries through a roundabout way and one by one into military groupings created under their protection. “In this way, the Turkish-Pakistani Pact was concluded in 1954, and the Turkish-Iraqi military alliance in February 1955. By the conclusion of the Turkish-Iraqi military alliance, its organisers succeeded in dragging Iraq away from other Arab countries and thus straining relations between these countries, a situation which was favourable for the countries which are trying to create disorder in the region in the interest of their own strategy. “Recently, the situation reached a point where Syria was approached with an ultimatum-like demand to the join the Turkish-Iraqi alliance. These demands were accompanied with threats at terrorising the government and people of Syria. “Acts of this kind, and the part assigned to Turkey in the creation of military blocs in the Near and Middle East, are causing justified misgivings among the Arab countries and fears lest Turkey should strive once again to rule over them and directly endanger their national independence. “Similar demands are also made on Saudi Arabia which together with Egypt and Syria, opposes the participation of the Arab countries in military blocs imposed upon them by the Western powers.” [email protected]
