Hard talking likely over news draft

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 9

Hard talking likely over news draft

NZPA-Reuter 1 ■’ • Belgrade Western delegates yesterday proposed the inclusion of more ideas from industrial countries in a draft-res-olution' on reshaping international news reporting and communications. ■ 5 Delegation sources said Britain- and the United States urged the alterations at' a session of a 12-nation grqup.. trying to agree on how to follow up a controversial report on world information problems. - The group, composed of Commimist, J Third World and Western representatives, is drafting a resolution to be presented, to the biennial general conference in Belgrade of the. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Western delegates considered <that_a draft :\text put forward by --the- group’s chairman,- Iba Der Thiam, of Senegal, went too far in incorporating Third World ideas for future action at the expense of Western views, the sources said. -

The changes proposed yesterday were <aimed at deleting some wording, making the language of the draft more precise, and including certain recommendations of the report welcomed by the West, the sources said.

The negotiating"" group took no decision on the Western proposals, but it was to-meet again today. Other members ~ of the group are the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Gabon, Cameroon, 'Japan, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, . Uruguay, Tunisia arid South Yemeri. The report they are discussing was prepared for Unesco by a 16-member international ■( ■ commission headed by a; former.-Irish Foreign Minister,: Sean MacBride. ’,\i • '

Developing countries welcomed tne ■■ document as a move towards what they described ' as < a' new ..world information order to end domination of communications by rich industrial states.' The West praised findings by the report'against (Censorship .and favouring ,- free access to hews sources,: but objected. to; recommendations which appeared to condone government .control of news and coriimunications. ' The Soviet bloc'said it approved most of the report’s basic provisionSnbut found, it too Westem-brlented/ >• ' Delegation * . sources said . the negotiating group;- had : not yet ’tackled the most ’ contentious passages of the s draft resolution in a “section setting out basic principles

for the proposed new world information order. - The sources said there was likely to be tough argument over this part of the draft, because Western governments regarded it as a bid by developing countries to force upon them a highly political definition of the new information order which they could not accept. The West felt that the Macßride Commission had failed to agree in two years of discussion on an exact concept of the proposed new order, and that therefore more time and reflection was needed to work out agreed principles. " 1 ; * Western delegates said privately that efforts by the negotiators on the draft resolution might founder on .this issue. > ■'"•'

“We:are not.. going to go for a consensus at any price,” one said. “There is a risk of rupture over this part of the draft, but we have not yet reached that point and it remains to be seen,” another Western delegate said. : Unesco usually works --by consensus, but if vflie: draft were, put .to a vote it would be-.sure of overwhelming ; acceptance - because.World states hold the major- ; ity. of seats in.the?ls2-nation body.. ■ - '