P.L.O. seeks summit seat

Press, 16 August 1976, Page 6

P.L.O. seeks summit seat

NZPA-Reuter Colombo The Palestine Liberation Organisation was expected yesterday to won i important voice in the 85nation Non-aligned Movement by joining a key committee at its summit in Colombo. Sri Lanka. The P.L.O. ’s bomind.lor. for a seat on the co-ordinat-ing committee was annc unced on Sunday by Mr Abdel Fatah, its representative with observer status at the conference. Informed sources said t, t Syria and Iraq had also been nominated for the committee, which is expected to be expanded from 17 to 25 members.

The P.L.O. on Saturday accused Syria at a press conference of “invading” Lebanon and standing hv as R : 1. - wing Lebanese forces wiped out the Tel Al-Zaatar Palestir.ian camp. Agreement on all nomin .- tions was not reached, and further meetings were thought likely last night, the eve of the three-day summit’s opening.

Last-minute lobbying was going on as Third-World leaders met allies and supporters. African leaders were discussing southern Africa, which President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia said vzas one of the “boiling pots of our present-day world.” He expected the situation there to be the most important item on the summit’s agenda. Two surprise late withdrawals from the conference were the Cuban Prime Minister (Dr Fidel Castro) and the North Korean President (Mr Kim II Sung). President Kim’s place was taken by the North Korean Prime Minister (Mr Pak Sung Chui).

Mr Pak was expected to spend much tme with the Vietnamese Prime Minister (Mr Pham Van Dong) and two other Indo-Chinese Laders making their first appearance at a major world conference—the Cambodian Head-of-State (Mr Khieu Samphan) and Prince Souphanouvong, the Laotian leader.