Cable Briefs

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Rhodesia report* Britain’s new Conservative Government has published two glowing reports on las* month's Rhodesian elections, both concluding that the vote was almost as free and as fair as possible. The main, report, drawn up by a Corf* servative Party team headed by a former Minister Lord Boyd, has been taken by the Government as a guide tq future Rhodesian policy. expressed a few reservation about the way rhe electiol was mounted, but reached the final conclusion that the polls were fair by the strictest Western European criteria. The Conservative Government has already announced that the report reny forced its determination to return Rhodesia to legality and win international recognition for the country The second report, prepared by h lawyer, Mr John Drinkwatei reached virtually the same conclusion. —London. Sanctions call

The influential United States Senate Armed Services Committee has voted, 13-3, to recommend that the full Senate force President Carter to lift United Stated trade sanctions against Rh > desia. An aide to an Lidapendent senator, Harry Bvrd, of Virginia, said the vote was on an amendment to the annual Defence Departrue.it Weapons Bill on which me committee has been workm| behind closed doors for more than a week.—Washington. Summit apenda

The United States and the Soviet Union have agreed on an agenda and detailed schedule for the Summit conference between President Jimmy Carter and President Leonid Brezhnev m Vienna next month, adminisj tration officials have said> The broad outlines for the agenda and many of the schedule details have been worked out at a meeting between Mr Zbigniew Brzezinski, Mr Carter’s National Security Adviser, and Mr Anatoly Dobrynin, the Soviet Ambassador. —Washington. Boost to talks?

Efforts began in Manila: yesterday to side-step a split in Third World unity over rising oil prices and to bring the United Nations Conference on Trade and Developnient back to its main discussion on how to improvy the developing countries’

share of world trade. The developing countries, known as the Group of 77, have been bogged down for the last week over a Costa Rican attempt to get discussions going on the impact of rising oil prices on their economies, stalling crucial talks on other issues. A formula was emerging, in behind-the-scene discussions that could pave the way for the Third World to discuss the problem elsewhere, and [let U.N.C.TA.D. concentrate ton other issues on which decisions still have to be made. —Manila.

Lebanon raids ! In Lebanon. Israeli planes ,have strafed Palestinian-coq-i trolled areas for the second [successive day, and Palestinian commandos later sa'd [they had exploded a timebomb in Jerusalem. The air- [ raid left four persons wounded, two of them seriously, south Lebanon residents have said. Israeli, and Right-wing Lebanese gun, ners allied with them, later pounded the same areg around the Palestinian-Leba-nese leftist stronghold of Nabatiyeh with heavy artillery fire, according to the residents. —Beirut.

Lance pleads

Bert Lance. President CarIter's long time confidant and political backer, has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges of ,bank fraud, saying the (charges were “totally ndi|ci lous” and predicting a jury would find him ia- ; nocent. Lance, aged 47. appeared in the United States ! District Court in Atlanta, (Georgia, with three close [associates indicted bv a Federal grand jury on Thursday. i|the four entered pleas of not I guilty. No trial date was set. I —Atlanta.