Cable Briefs

Press, 5 June 1978, Page 6

Cable Briefs

Opposition dissolves

Egypt’s ■ largest opposition group, the Conservative New Wafd Party, -has dissolved itself in protest against measures to purge Communists and old-guard politicians from the country’s political life. The measures, proposed by President Anwar Sadat and approved by 98.29 per] cent of voters in a recent referendum, were legalised by the People’s Assembly (Parliament) two days ago.) The New Wafd Party, estab-1 lished only four months ago.; said the measures “swept away all political freedom! gained bv the people, andl one of its objectives is to| destroy the New Wafdi Party.” — Cairo. Slepak arrested The Jewish activist, Vladimir Slepak, seized by Soviet policemen after staging a protest watched by hundreds of Muscovites, has been accused by “Tass” of violating public order. Mr Slepak was arrested when he displayed a poster from the balcony' of his central Moscow flat de- ■ manding permission to emi-l grate to Israel. His wife. Maria, was also taken away after the police broke down the door of their apartment. Mr Slepak is a member of the dissident Helsinki monitoring group. — Moscow. Bomb kills five

Israeli security forces have begun a search for Arab guerrillas who bombed a crowded bus in Jerusalem on Friday, killing five people and wounding at least 20. Palestinian guerrillas based in Israel caused the blast, according to their Beirut headquarters. The bus passengers were Orthodox Jews hurrying home to observe the sabbath. Israeli officials said that a mortar bomb had been left on a luggage rack of the bus in Jerusalem, and the blast had hurled passengers from the vehicle. — Jerusalem.

Chile invitation Chile, repeatedly accused of human rights violations, has agreed to permit a panel from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to visit Chile to see the situation at first hand, according to reliable sources. It' was the first time any member Government had agreed to an inquiry into conditions after coming under attack in the United Nations. The panel comprises delegates from Pakistan, , Ecuador, Senegal. Austria, and Sierra Leone. — New York. Sakharovs fined Andrei Sakharov, the Russian Nobel prize winner, and his wife, Yelena Bonner, have been fined a total of $l3O on charges of striking policemen and stewards outside the courtroom where the dissident scientist, Yuri Orlov, was on trial last months. — Moscow. Jet sale trial

A retired Malaysian Air Force officer has been sent to jail for three years for corruption in the sale to the Government of 16 American Northrop F-5 fighter aircraft. The officer, Group Captain Ahmad Shah Hashim, who was convicted on four charges of corruption, was also ordered by the High Court to pay 58,350 rainggit (about $23,000) he took in commision from Northrop’s local agents for recommending the plane to the Government. Ahmad Shah, committed the offences in November, 1971. — Kuala Lumpur.

*53 French die’ Libyan-backed rebels say they have killed 58 French soldiers during fighting near the strategic central Qiad town of Ati, but the French Defence • Ministry flatly denies the report. According to spokesmen for the Chad National Liberation Front (Frolinat) in Paris and Tripoli; the- rebels inflicted the casualties during fighting on Wednesday and Thursday at' Pjadaa in the Ati region,! 20flkm north-east of the Capital .N’djamena. Twenty,five Chad Government soldiers had also been killed in the battle, the spokesman said. Frolinat losses had been 29 killed and 31 wounded. — Paris. Aegean pact The Greek Premier (Mr Constantine Caramanlis) has proposed — and the Turkish Prime Minister (Mr Bulent Ecevit) has accepted in principle — a non-aggression pact with Turkey in a move that could 1-qd to improvements in relations between the two N.A.T.Q. Members. “The substance of the pact would be that neither of the two countries would resort to force. Mr Caramanlis said. “This pact would improve the climate which would then be more favourable to the advancement of the (Greek-Turkish) dialogue.” — Washington. Honour for Whitlam Mr Edward Gough Whitlam, aged 64. whose Government introduced the first exclusively Australian honours system more than three years ago, has been awarded its highest order. With four Others, he has been made a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday honours. His award was for “eminent and meritorious service to politics and government and to the Parliament of the ComImonwealth of Australia. — 1 Canberra.