Debates erupt at
Soviet CP plenum
THE DEEPENING CRISIS of the Communist Party and of bureaucratic rule in the USSR opened the way for some sharp exchanges at the plenum of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party in early February. The meeting served as a barometer pointing to stormier weather ahead. GERRY FOLEY
IN THE first place, the plenum came on the heels of the military occupation of Azerbaijan, the first use of the Soviet army for large-scale repres sion since the start of Gorbachev's reform course. Secondly, it came on the eve of a series of key elections, notably in the Baltic republics, that will test the ability of the Communist Party to defend its power and its political objectives by political means.