Crunch coming Clyde THE STRUGGLE at Upper Clyde Shipbuilders

tor is likely to demand delivery of a new ship from the threatened Clydebank yard. 'Plot' in Sudan JAAFAR NUMEIRY, anti-communist dictator of the Sudan, has publicly complained of plots in hostile quarters' to undermine the country's 'ties of mutual friendship and cooperation' with China.

In a broadcast statement on Omdurman Radio, he accused imperialist and agent news agencies and the press' of issuing false reports about the recent Peking visit of vice-president Babikar Awadallah.

"These hostile quarters..: have continued to •surround the delegation's tour with an atmosphere of rumour and lies with the aim of distorting the noble tasks of the tour and creating lack of confidence between the two friendly peoples, Numeiry fulminated.

He indignantly denied that the tour had been cut short, the: negotiations had failed and the Sudan delegation's chairman had been snubbed by the Chinese.

On the contrary: 'Our delegation completed its task with our friends in China with great success and full understanding of the common ties and joint struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialist forces,' Numeiry said.

The services of Chinese Stalinism are certainly much appreciated by Numeiry, whose hands are stained with the blood of dozens of Sudanese communists and trade unionists and whose jails are full of his left-wing opponents.

Drugs

A cloak-and-dagger element was introduced into the delegation's trip by Maj-Gen Abd al-Halim, who has noW 'retired' from the Sudanese forces.

Halim. a delegation member. visited his family in Beirut and the 'hostile forces', according to Numeiry, took advantage of his trip to introduce £20,000-worth of narcotics into his luggage.

"Ma)-Gen Abd al-Halim, however, discovered the cowardly plot in time and informed the authorities before leaving Beirut airport, Numeiry said.

It has been confirmed that this plot, on which hostile quarters spent large sums of money and circulated through their agent radios and press, was not aimed at the person of Maj-Gen Halim so much as at the Sudan and its constant revolutionary strategy ine need to be alert and cautious to deny the enemies of our revolution an opportunity of attacking our revolution through its active sons, as was the case in this plot, Maj-Gen Abd al-Halim has requested through the Ministry of Defence to be released from military service.

I have approved his retireThe plot thickens even more when Halim's role in suppressing the left-wing coup against Numeiry last July is considered.

On July 21, two days after the left wing seized power in Khartoum and while their leader Hashim al-Ata was addressing a huge meeting in the capital, Halim was in Libya with Gen Khalid Abbas.

They had come via Cairo from Belgrade in Tito's Yugoslavia. They flew to Libya on a charter plane put at their disposal by the London-based conglomerate Lonrho.

Their plan was to lead the Sudanese troops situated on the Suez Canal and have them parachuted over Khartoum to assist the suppression of the left-wing rebellion.

Lonrho recently concluded major contract with the Sudanese dictatorship to manage the country's commerce. One of its board members is Angus : Ogilvy,, Princess Alexandra's husband.

As for Tito, he sent a "fraternal delegate' to the recent conference of the Arab Socialist Union, the Sudan's ruling party.

Boilermakers' leader Dan McGarvey will meet UCS shop stewards on Friday to report on his discussions with the mysterious Breaksea Tankships group who have 'shown an interest' in Clydebank.

Before his flight to Texas McGarvey blurted out what was unspoken, but common, knowledge: that union officials would talk with Govan Shipbuilders about wages and conditions at the Govan, Linthouse and possibly Scotstoun division even if attempts to get a purchaser for Clydebank Newspapers say this is a change Men ike Dor the union. like Donald Tonner, of the Clydeside Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, say their policy has always been the same. The shop stewards are saying nothing.

They plan a typical 'leaseback' operation at Clydebank; dragging in some property company to buy the yards, which it would then lease to Breaksea.

They would then build and lease liquid - natural - gas tankers.

The Texans claim to have powerful S American, N African and Arabian backers, but they will not say who.

Á rather cheeky 'Sunday Times' investigation commented: "The Breaksea trio are really the archetypal wheeler-dealer group served with every hamburger in this oil-rich city [Houston].

"They talk well and big, but have no direct connection with the shipbuilding industry?

The investigation ended: 'With no concrete information available on source of Breaksea's finance, it is diffi-, assess constructively this high-flying operation. Male tiend cose bit position close McGarvey talks their terms...

'Or the confrontation could be a gigantic public-relations exercise to attract shy, speculators into the venture.

This is the kind of company McGarvey and his partner in the CSEU, Jack Service, are parleying with in Texas.

Donald Tonner himself admits that there has in fact been not one single inquiry for Clydebank and that even if Breaksea did bite operations could not start for at least a year. A MEMBER of the Brodsworth branch committee Jack Stone joined the NCB