REPORTS from Prague confirm that the Husak is losing its battle to prevent the trial of former

secretary Alexander Dubeek and his supporters.

Justifying Dubcek's recent expulsion from the Party, Sunday's 'Rude Pravo' switched the line of attack away from his alleged 'mistakes' and 'opportunism' towards breaches of Czech law.

Editor, Miroslav Moc - a well-known 'hard line' critic of Husak-made the following charges:

'Violation of the statutes ; responsibility for ideologica and organizational disruption, for a two-faced . policy; ideoprinciples; capitulation. firmness logical lack of that permitted disruption of the political organization of socialist society and caused heavy damage to the natiofor economy; responsibility violation of international and allied relations with the Soviet Union and the fraternal communist parties of the socialist Countries, for the capitulation to • counter-revolutionary forces' sacking from his post as Ambassador to Turkey — while the 'moderates' make long speeches upholding the honour and record of Dubcek's former ally, Husak.

Seeking to protect himself from this pressure, Husak bitterly attacked the Dubcek leadership (of which he was a part) in his speech to Central Committee last weekend.

For the first time, he referred to a 'bloc of right-wing opportunist and anti-socialist forces'-implying that Dubcek was consciously working with imperialist-inspired forces for the restoration of capitalism in Czechoslovakia.

Sinister

That this new attack marks a victory for the ultra-Stalinist forces lined up behind Strougal, Bilak and Indra, is confirmed by a sinister pas sage from Husak's speech in Brno on Sunday:

'If somebody does not want observe the laws, if somebody wants to wreck and disrupt our socialist system, then he must not be offended. Gottwald old Czech Stalinist leader who staged the frame-"'brother or not, come to say, down from the pear tree" The weight strike the violator of the law and this could not, matter of fact, be otherwise.' Dubcek himself ported to have confirmed cent stories of his impending when he told a doctor treating him Prague's Sanops hospital:

'Their interrogation made me certain that they will try Not squabble The campaign against him is not just "liberal'-ultraStalinist squabble with Husak trapped in the middle.

From January to the summer of 1968, Dubcek headed a centrist development inside the Czech party, which in turn reflected in a distorted way a profound working-class movement against the Stalinist bureaucracy, which then in its tanks.

At this point, the Dubcek leadership played a classical centrist role, and capitulated.

Resistance

But the movement that swept him forward and which he bertayed-could not be crushed so easily.

The slander campaign against Dubcek is therefore directed against the aims of the 1968 movement, which at its coredespite the intentions of its leaders-drove on towards the political revolution against the Stalinist bureaucracy and the establishment of genuine workers' democracy in Czechoslovakia.

It is this movement-forced back but not crushed by the Soviet occupation - that we defend in opposing the slandering and framing of Dubcek.

WEATHER London area, central southern England, E and W Midlands : Sunny periods and scattered strowers. NW. Rather cool. Wind fresh or Max. 17C (63F).

SE England: Cloudy with rain, soon becoming brighter with sunny periods and scattered showers. Wind fresh or strong, NW. Rather cool. Max. 17C (63F).

Channel Islands, SW England: Mostly cloudy, occasional showers. Wind fresh, NW. Rather cool. Max. 61C (61F). Edinburgh and E Scotland : Sunny spells with some showers, probably becoming mostly cloudy with rain at times. Wind fresh or strong, NW. Cool. Max. 15C (59F). NW and central northern England, Glasgow area, N Ireland: Sunny periods and scattered showers. Wind fresh or strong, NW. Rather cool. Max. 14C (5/r).

Outlook for Thursday and Friday: Cool with showers and sunny spells, perhaps longer periods of rain near East coast. ITALY