A world shaken by the death of Soviet ruler Leonid Brezhnev both praised and condemned him Friday while viewing his replacement as general secretary of the Communist Party, former KGB chief Yuri Andropov, with varying anxiety.
China sent the new Soviet leader a strong signal it wished to maintain the dialogue recently begun under Andropov's 75-year-old predecessor, who died Wednesday.
In Peking, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua said vice chairman of the National People's Congress, Ulanhu, expressed hope 'the relations between our two countries will move toward normalization step by step.'
In Madrid, Spanish Ambassador Juan Luis Pan de Soraluce told the European Security Conference, 'Leonid Brezhnev, one of the 35 signatories of the Helsinki Final Act, has been a central figure in the period of detente.' He called Brezhnev one of the fathers of detente and said, 'We are confident his ideas will not die with him.'
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Jozef Wiejacz told the conference Brezhnev was 'a frank and loyal friend of the Polish people' and informed the members of his government's plan to release Solidarity leader Lech Walesa.
Soviet chief delegate Anatoli Kovalov said he was deeply moved by the expressions of condolence at the meeting.
But in Manila, The Times Journal, an English language Philippine newspaper, said 'that if the post-Afghanistan and post-Poland policies of the Soviet Union continue, the reality of a global holocaust will become more stark.'
The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun called on the West to make clear that 'it will not tolerate Soviet military intervention in any part of the world by the new regime.'
In Pakistan, Moslem rebels fighting the Moscow-backed regime in Afghanistan said Allah will punish Brezhnev for the 'atrocities he perpetrated against millions of innocent Afghans.'
But Afghan President Babrak Karmal said he mourned Brezhnev as 'a real friend.'
In Canberra, Australia's acting Prime Minister Doug Anthony, said: 'Under President Brezhnev, the Soviet Union's military strength and the projection of Soviet power ... has given rise to serious tensions and uncertainty.'
In Taipai, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Ta-Jen said: 'Regardless of who is chosen to succeed Brezhnev, the Soviet goal of world domination will not be altered.'
But from New Delhi kind words were heard for the man who led the Soviet Union for 18 years.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said the death dealt the world the loss of 'an outstanding statesman, to the Soviet Union a real architect and the people of India a valued friend.'
Pakistan's President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq said, 'It is sad that the leader of a great country is dead.'
An editorial in the English-language Hong Kong Standard said: 'For all the hectoring and blustering tirades, he was also a man of peace and stability.'
In Maputo, Mozambique, the daily newspaper Noticias scrapped its usual red ink masthead and headlines and printed only in black and the Mozambique government declared a period of mourning to last until Brezhnev's funeral.
In Lusaka, Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda said, 'The world has been left in doubt as to what will happen in terms of peace and detente' with Brezhnev's death and appealed to the new Soviet leadership to follow Brezhnev's example 'because we need peace day by day.'
Communist Cuba decreed an official four-day mourning period, the Cuban government press agency Prensa Latina reported.
In Managua, Nicaragua, the Soviet-backed Sandinista junta also decreed three days of mourning, calling Brezhnev 'a great fighter for peace.'
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, it was announced Defense minister Julio Martinez Vivot will represent Argentina at the state funeral.
The Soviets offered moral support and military assistance to Argentina during the Falklands war against Great Britain earlier this year.
The Times of London commented, 'Brezhnev could play either dove or hawk in his relations with the West but he never faltered in his effort to expand Soviet influence. His successors will pursue the same aims.'
And the newspaper Die Welt of West Germany said Brezhnev 'used the policy of detente to expand still more the military superiority of the Soviet Union in Europe' and said he was 'an oppressor of the great Russian people.'
