While the seventh non-aligned conference was still stuck on the question of the venue of the next summit, behind-the-scene consultations have brought about a compromise on the Diego Garcia issue. Major portions of the draft declaration have been finalised by the drafting group of the Political Committee. The issues still to be resolved included the Iran-Iraq war, an omnibus North Korean amendment concerning the reunification of the two Koreas and withdrawal of foreign troops from the region, and whether some members of the UN should have veto power or not.
India and Pakistan took a major step towards normalisation of relations between the two by signing an agreement for the setting up of a joint commission. The foreign ministers of the two countries signed the agreement in the presence of the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi and the Pakistan President, Gen Zia-ul-Haq.
Apprehending escalation in extremist activities, security measures are being tightened in Punjab. Intelligence reports fear the possibility of terrorist actions against some public men, particularly Congress (I) legislators and some officers during the current Assembly session. The intention behind the feared terrorism may be to cause demoralisation in the government and ruling party.
The economic committee of the non-aligned summit has proposed the setting up of an international debt commission to consider alleviative measures for indebted developing countries. It has also suggested the total write-off of the debt burden of the least developed countries.
