American pledge to poor

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 8

American pledge to poor

NZPA-Reuter Paris The United States has promised to throw its vast wealth, power, and influence behind the creation of a new and fairer international economic system. The American Secretary of State (Mr Cyrus Vance) presented the Carter Administration’s detailed policy towards the Third World at the final Ministerial session of the 27nation north-south economic dialogue in Paris. He assured Foreign Ministers of industrialised and developing countries that the United States would translate words into deeds — and followed up with specific pledges designed to channel extra resources to the poor nations. “We commit ourselves here and now to counsel and collaborate, and to join in the most significant effort of our time: to bring the benefits of mankind’s progress to all mankind,” Mr Vance said. He went on to list these “tangible ways” in which the United States was ready to help: 1. To join in a SIOOOM international fund for agricultural development. 2. President Carter will seek from Congress a substantial increase in the volume of United States bilateral and multilateral aid programmes over the next five years. 3. The United States would support a substantial increase in the general capital of the World Bank. 4. Support for the common market’s proposed SIOOOM special action programme to help the world’s poorest nations. 5. Aid for specific programme to alleviate absolute poverty on a global basis. 6. Readiness to participate in common action to moderate fluctuations in commodity prices, supply and earnings, including the creation of a common fund to back up commodity agreements. Pardons promised Yugoslav authorities will pardon a number of the country’s 502 political prisoners later this year, highlyplaced communist party sources have said. They said that authorities would announce the pardons after completing inquiries