Cable Briefs

Press, 21 August 1979, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Leftists expelled About 500 members of an international brigade that fought in the Nicaraguan civil war have been expelled by the ruling Sandinist National Liberation Front. A member of the ruling junta, Mr Sergio Ramirez, said the Simon Bolivar Brigade combatants had been disarmed and thrown out of the country. The brigade members, far-Left militants from all over Latin America, had been agitating against the new Government and organising labour unions in the poorest regions of the country, according to official sources. — Managua.

N.A.M. document Cuba has urged the 89nation Non-Aligned Movement to denounce the Egyp-tian-Israeli peace treaty and harshly criticise the West during its summit meeting in Havana next month. A draft declaration produced by Cuba is stronger in its denunciation of Western powers than many past nonaligned documents, Western and non-aligned diplomats have said. Certain phrases in the declaration might also be taken to justify a closer relation between the NonAligned Movement and the Communist camp, they added. — Havana.

N-bomb prediction “Newsweek” magazine has quoted sources in South-East Asia as saying that Pakistan had the ability to explode a nuclear bomb at any time. The sources, who were not identified, said the bomb would in fact be detonated at an underground site just before the General Election in November, the magazine said. The sources also said that President Mohammed Zia-Ul-Haq, hoping' to capitalise on national pride, would then cancel the General Election and appoint a civilian Government with himself in charge. — New York.

Officer on trial A Nigerian officer serving with the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon has gone on trial on charges of smuggling arms and sabotage equipment from Leba- . non for Palestinian guerrillas in Israel. The court-ap- ; pointed lawyer for Lieuten- ; ant-Colonel Alfred Gomm i said an Israeli court had no ; competence to try his , client, who had diplomatic ■ immunity as a United t Nations solidef. He said he : should be handed over to the United Nations for trial i by a Nigerian court. The dis- [ trict court said it would give a ruling shortly on its com- > petence to try Ccflone! Gomm, who was charged • after arms and equipment w'ere allegedly found in the trunk of his car as he crossed from Lebanon into - Israel some months ago. — Jerusalem.