Former West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, addressed a large rally of Portuguese socialists on Saturday (13 March) and wished them success in next month's parliamentary elections.

More than 15,000 people attended the rally in Oporto. The rally was held to mark the meeting in Oporto of the Socialist International Organisation. The meeting had been condemned by the Popular Democrat Party (PPD) as a blatant interference with Portuguese internal affairs.

Before the rally about 5,000 PPD supporters clashed with socialists in Oporto's main square.

Herr Brandt was not the only West European Socialist to attend the meeting. During his address he was flanked by Austrian Chancellor, Mr. Bruno Kreisky, and Prime Ministers, Mr. Olof Palme of sweden, and Mr. Odvar Nordli of Norway and Mr. Joop Den Uyl of the Netherlands. Also present at the rally were representatives of the French, Italian and Spanish Socialist parties.

Speaking to the crowd at the rally, Herr Brandt congratulated the Portuguese people for preventing the country coming under a dictatorship last year.

The Socialists and the PPD are expected to run neck and neck for first place in next month's elections for Portugal's first freely-chosen parliament in half a century.

There was an explosion earlier outside a local Conservative party office. The explosion caused considerable damage to the building but no-one was injured.

There were further clashes between supporters of the Socialists and the PPD at a rally organised by the PPD. Speakers at the rally said the Socialist meeting was an open interference in internal Portuguese politics.

SYNOPSIS: More than fifteen thousand people attended a Socialist rally in the Portuguese city of Oporto on Saturday. The rally was organised by the Portuguese Socialist Party to mark the meeting there of the Socialist International Organisation.

The Portuguese Socialist leader, Dr. Mario Soares, was accompanied by Herr Willy Brandt, former Chancellor of West Germany. Leaders of other West European Socialist parties also attended the meeting.

Dr. Soares told the huge crowd that they had saved Portugal from a right wing dictatorship. There was an attempt last year by right wing backed military forces to take over the country.

The local Conservative Party office in Oporto had been bombed only hours before the Socialist rally. The explosion caused extensive damage to the building but there were no reports of injuries. The bombing raised fears of violence throughout the city.

The bombing occurred only hours after a rally organised by the Popular Democrat Party - PPD. The leaders of the PPD condemned the meeting of the Socialist International as a blatant interference with the internal affairs of Portugal. The rallies being held by the various parties were in preparation for next month's elections for Portugal's first freely chosen parliament in fifty years.

The meeting of the Socialist International was held in this hotel in Oporto. Socialist party leaders from France, Italy and Spain were amongst those who attended the meeting.

Herr Brandt told the meeting that Portuguese Socialists could back on the full scale support of West European Socialist parties.

Dr. Soares said that with such support the Portuguese Socialist Party would sweep to power in the forthcoming general elections.