Vietnamization Termed
No Quick Path to Peace
By TERENCE SMITH
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb., 25 — continued military capacity
President Nixon said for the and determination, the nefirst time today that the policy gotiating deadlock in Paris and
of Vietnamization cannot, "ex- determination, the negotiating
cept over a long period," end deadlock in Paris and the difthe war in Indochina,
ficulties in sustaining the meThe policy will fulfill the ob- mentum of the pacification projective of reducing American gram in South Vietnam.
involvement in the fighting, he "If winding down the war is
said, but "if Vietnamization my greatest satisfaction in
leads to perpetuating the war, foreign policy," he said, "the
it is not by our design, but failure to end it is my greatest
because the other side refuses disappointment."
to settle for anything less than The President restated in
some detail the five-point peace
a guaranteed take-over."
It was the most direct Presi- proposal he first announced on
dential response yet to one of Oct. 7, and said: "We frankly
the most frequently heard crit. expected that our elaboration
icisms of his Indochina policy of political principles
the
— that it contains the seeds Oct. 7 peace initiative and
would
of open-ended fighting among produce some movement from
the Indochinese peoples in the the other side." Despite the
wake of the American with- absence of movement, Mr.
Nixon said, "we will not give
drawal.
The President's raising of this up on negotiations."
possibility in the 1971 mesLaos and Cambodia
sage on foreign affairs was in
direct contrast to his 1970 Without specifically menmessage and several major tinning the South Vietnamese
speeches during the last year invasion of Laos, Mr. Nixon
in which he has spoken
of presented the Administration's
Vietnamization — the policy of rationale for the allied operaturning the responsibility for tions into that country and
the war over to the South Cambodia.
Vietnamese — as leading to a "If Hanoi were to gain conVietnamese
of Laos and Cambodia,"
"just and lasting peace."
he said, "a large portion of
Tone is Restrained
the more than 140,000' Communist troops now engaged in
The tone was in keeping with these countries would be freed
the restraint in the 28-page to fight in South Vietnam." The
Indochina section of the 1971 Administration could not purreport. Mr. Nixon said that sue its withdrawal program, he
while he felt the record of the added, without taking into conlast year was one of achieve- sideration "the unavoidable
ment, "serious difficulties re- facts on its flank" and acting to
main," and "we do not intend counter them.
to add to a painful record of Despite the problems, Mr.
prematurely optimistic assess- Nixon contended that his Adments on Vietnam."
ministration had made "conUnder a section entitled
sistent and unmistakable" pro"Problemi for the Future," the gress toward its goal of "windPresident noted the enemy's ing down the war."