Cable briefs

Press, 10 February 1982, Page 8

Cable briefs

Envoy to return An American special emissary, Philip Habib, will return to the Middle East within two weeks for new talks on the south Lebanon cease-fire, according to a State Department official. Mr Habib's planned trip was disclosed by an Assistant Secretary of State. Nicholas Veliotes. as reports of Soviet arms deliveries to Pales"tinian forces in south Lebanon heightened tension on both sides. Mr Veliotes said the two sides shared blame for what he called the deterioration of the south Lebanon situation. but blamed the Palestinians for “provocations", including an attempt to infiltrate into Israel through Jordon. — Washington. Girl rejects help Tseng Chin-lien, at 2.4 im (7ft IO 3 tin), believed to be the world's tallest girl, has turned down head surgery intended to cure her gigantism. China's "Sports News" reports. The paper also lamented that Mis Tseng, aged 17. once an active sports enthusiast, had not received earlier medical ■ care and training might have made her a basketball or other sports star. She refused the surgery because her hair would have had to be cut off and her skull opened. Peking. Peace bid tails A Pan-African proposal to end the Western Sahara war appeared deadlocked after Morocco, which adminsters the territory, stood by its refusal to negotiate with the Polisario guerrillas. In a break with previous diplomatic practice, the Organisation of African Unity tried to bring Morocco and its guerrilla foes to the conference table but the positions of the warring parties remained entrenched. — Nairobi. Rebels ‘repent’ The Singapore Government has announced the release. of five members of the alleged underground Muslim extremist organisation because. it said, they had repented and voluntarily confessed their crimes. A Home Ministry statement said the five had realised that they had been misled by the leading members of the clandestine Singapore Peoples' Liberation Organisation. Five other S.P.L.O. members, including their self-confessed ringleader. Zainulabiddin bin Mohd Shah, were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two to four years for plotting to overthrow the Government by armed force alter they had pleaded guilty. Singapore. Border arrests Five people have been arrested for trying to enter the' United States illegally, from Canada to procure arms for the outlawed Irish Republican Army, according to an immigration official. The arrests came less than three weeks after two members of the Sinn Fein, the legal political arm of the 1.R.A.. were seized while trying to enter the United States from Canada. Three of the five were Canadian and two were from Belfast. Northern Ireland. Buffalo. ‘Coke’ seizure AU Coca-Cola on sale throughout Italy has been ordered seized by a Court after a young man was taken to hospital in a critical condition after drinking a bottle near Como. The Court at first ordered the seizure of all bottles of Coca-Cola in the Como area, northern Italy, and later extended the ' ruling to the whole country. The Italian Ansa news agency quoted a Coca-Cola representative in Milan as saying that, given the pro-, duct's vast sales, "we can exclude statistically that our drink is harmful to health." - Como.