U.N. Trade Talks At Cross-Roads

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30453, 29 May 1964, Page 11

U.N. Trade Talks At Cross-Roads

(N.Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) GENEVA, May 26. With less than three weeks to go, the United Nations Trade and Development Conference now stands at a cross-roads. It lies in the power of the 75 less-developed countries represented here to determine which road will be taken.

One should lead to agreement being reached on practical measures and undertakings which would alleviate the problems of the developing nations, says Kirby Sutton, the London Press Service diplomatic correspondent. The alternative could be the passage by majority vote of a great number of farreaching resolutions and high sounding manifestos which could not command general support, and would bring no positive results. Such a negative ending would be a serious set-back in the task of strengthening the economies and raising the living standards of the developing countries. The critical situation has arisen over conference procedure. The three-month session has been divided into three phases: the opening plenary debate, the work in the committees, and the drafting of the “final act” setting out the conference achieve-

ments, to which, it is hoped, all participating nations can subscribe. The time limit set for the work in committees to end has arrived. There is pressure from the less-developed countries to force through in committees those resolutions now before them, in spite of the amount of disagreement which exists.