Opinion May 7, 1982, Forty Years Ago: UN Peace Proposal

Britain and Argentina have accepted a six-point proposal United Nations Peace proposal as a framework for renewed negotiations to end the battle for the Falkland Islands. The peace plans calls for the withdrawal of both Argentine troops and the British fleet and put the islands under UN administration, a highly-placed diplomatic source said. But the plan avoids the crucial issue of sovereignty over the South Atlantic islands seized on April 2, a highly-placed diplomatic source said. UN Secretary General Javier Perez De Cueller in a letter to both governments proposed a series of provisional measures in order to avoid immediate discussion of sovereignty and suggested six points which should be immediately observed in order to be acceptable to both sides.

Farakka Treaty

India is not going to abide by the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka agreement of 1977 signed by Janata Party government, Irrigation Minister Kedar Pandey said. He contended that the agreement, a definite loss to India. It gave government 80 per cent advantage whereas the Calcutta port did not even 40,000 cusecs of water. The minister said in the next meeting scheduled to be held in June, the Centre was going to be firm on its proposal that the Brahmaputra Ganga link be implemented bilaterally. Pande said that the review meeting of the Joint River Commission will be held in June.

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PM On BJP

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi lashed out against the Bharatiya Janata Party branding it as communally minded and said that it was creating problems. Mrs Gandhi who was mostly attacking the CPM during her Kerala visit turned her attention to BJP at Perumbavoor, a Christian stronghold 59 km from Cochin.