P.M. to chair P.L.O. meeting?

Press, 27 November 1980, Page 16

P.M. to chair P.L.O. meeting?

PA _ Wellington The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) has announced details of hrs forthcoming visit to Manila, where be will chair a committee of governors of the International Monetary fund and the World Bank. Mr Muldoon wiH leav New Zealand on Saturday and return on December 4 The committee would investigate the thorny question of whether the Palestine Liberation Organisation should be accorded observer status at annual meetings of the I.M.F. and the Bank. The P.L.O. was not accorded observer status at the 1980 meetings, which raised the ire of the countries supporting the P.L.O.s’ application. They challenged the legality of a postal vote taken in September limiting the

number of organisations granted observer status. "The committee I will chair has the job of analysing legal arguments and. where possibe. suggesting ways of resolving differences of interpretation.” Mr Muldoon .aid.

New Zealand had ah tained on the postal vote. “We wished to demon

trate concern at the wax in which political issues were distracting the inst-

.Hions from their primefunctions and responsibiities, especially in regard to deficit developing countries at a difficult time for the international economy.

“This attitude, and the fact that I had convened a working party covering an earlier aspect of the P.L.O.’s application, led to my being prevailed upon by the full membership of

the institutions to accept the chairmanship of this new committee."

He would represent New Zealand as chairman and the committee would be made up of eight other member countries. Each would be represented by a governor and a legal adviser. The committee could become deadlocked m some questions. In that went Mr Muldoon said he could have a casting vote. The committee would neet again early in 1981. 'ossibly in New Zealand te said. Mr Muldoon will be acompanied by Mr B. V.. Galvin and Mr S. P. Murdoch, of the Prime Minister’s department, and Mr H. B. Hewett, his principal private secretary. Mr J. D. Dalgety will also accompany Mr Muldoon, serving as the chairman's legal adviser.

Mr Muldoon was also »’ expected to meet Presi- j dent Ferdinand Marcos of ft the Philippines during his S vrsit to Manila. The Minister of Labour j; (Mr Bolger) will also be | in Manila at the time of 7 Mr Muldoon’s visit. Mr » Bolger will attend a meet- is ins' this week-end of g South Pacific Labour ministers. He will remain in 7 Manila until December 5 g

to attend the early ses- » stons of the 11-day Asian f regional conference of the J International Labour Or- s ganisation, which will t

open on Tuesday. The president of the | Federation of Labour (Mr e W. J. Knox) and the

executive director of the | Employers’ Federation (Mr * J. W. Rowe) are also ex- i pected to attend the 1.L.0. 1 conference.