PRIME MINISTER WEDNESDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 1979
From the Press Office
SUMI'IARY OF ABC'S 12: 30 pm NEWS
Unconfirmed reports say that the flow of oil from Iran has
been shut down. A State Department official in Washington told
Peter Barnett it appeared that only American tankers were
affected by the shut down, the flow had been stopped to all
vessels. There has been no official explanation from Iran or
any indication how long the stoppage would last. Oil industry
sources in New York reported that the crisis had been caused by
workers going on strike in sympathy with the students in
Tehran who have seized the American Embassy and demanded the
return of the Shah from the United States.
The wholesale prices of petrol and domestic oil jumped sharply
in New York on reports that Iran had cut off oil deliveries.
Cargoes of gasoline were quoted at $ 1.18 American a gallon,
a rise of ten cents. Home heating oil-jumped 6' a gallon to 94
At the United Nations, the Secretary General is engaged in a
diplomatic effort to free the American hostages in Tehran.
Two statements were issued: one expressing extreme concern and
second saying he had met the Iranian Charge d'Affaires.
As American officials continue their efforts to free the
American hostages in the Tehran Embassy, President Carter held
an unscheduled meeting of the National Security Council. The
President called the Council together only hours after a meeting
with his top foreign policy advisers.
The head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Yasir Arafat,
is sending a delegation to Tehran. A PLO spokesman at the
U. N. said the delegation would secure the safety of the hostages
in the American Embassy. Mr. Arafat has instructed the PLO's
office in Tehran to use all possible means to safeguard the lives
of the hostages.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra says it is taking
what it describes as normal security precautions at the
Australian Embassy in Tehran.
President of Zambia says he will not give in to pressure from
the Salisbury Government to stop raids by Zambian-based guerillas
into Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. He was giving his first public reaction
to the halting of maize deliveries through Zambia to Rhodesia.
The Peking High Court has rejected an appeal by dissident who
was sentenced to 15 years gaol last month. The editor of a
dissident magazine was convicted on charges of passing secrets
to foreigners and of counter-revolutionary activities.
Chairman Guofeng has left Rome for Peking after his 23-day tour
of Europe. In a departure statement he said the tour had been
crowned with full success.
At a rally in Moscow to mark the 62nd anniversary of the
October Revolution, a senior Politburo member appealed to the
West to give a positive reply to Soviet disarmament proposals. / 2 7 S;'
-2
The head of the Australian Federal Police, Sir Colin Woods,
does not want to talk about the new responsibilities he has
been given to combat drugs just yet. In response to requests
from newsmen for interviews this morning Sir Colin issued
a short statement saying that the disbanding of the
Federal Narcotics Bureau meant that the Federal Police Force
had been given a job to do. It was getting on with it.
Sir Colin Woods has said until such time as he had made a
full evaluation of the resources he had to do that job, he
was not in a position to talk to the media.
Australia's complaints about subsidised sugar exports by
the Common Market have been upheld by the Council of the
General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade in Geneva. The Council
has adopted a report which confirms Australia's submission
that the EEC subsidy system has depressed world sugar
prices in recent years. The report also concludes that the
EEC subsidy system constitutes a permanent source of
uncertainty in world sugar markets. The Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister for Trade and Resources, Mr. Anthony, said today
that at a time when members of the International Sugar
Agreement were subjecting themselves to stringent discipline
in production and export cuts, the EEC was expanding exports.
Mr. Anthony said this economic irresponsiblity by the world's
largest trading bloc was deplorable, and was the main reason
why Australia had submitted its complaint to the GATT Council.
In Brisbane, more than 2,000 people have gathered to protest
against Queensland's new Essential Services Legislation.
In opening the rally, the President of the Queensland Trades
and Labour Council described the gathering as a protest
against an act of slavery.
The* Natural Disasters Organisation has begun a three-day
exercise involving simulated cyclones in Darwin and Gove
and an earthquake in Adelaide. The exercise is being
conducted at its headquarters in Canberra.
The authorities in Washington have revealed that an
American Air Force F-15 almost collided with a French
Concorde Airliner last week. The incident happened over
the Atlantic. 000---