GENEVA: The Disarmament conference yesterday [Aug 22] broke the one-minute record for the shortest meeting ever held. The delegates met and disbanded again in 55 seconds flat.

The member of the American delegation timed the meeting by saying, “We knocked five seconds off last week’s one-minute record. But nobody laughed today as they did last Tuesday”.

The delegates, who have been meeting since 1962, are waiting impatiently for America and Russia to present their joint treaty on banning all nuclear weapons.

But Russia is stalling despite telling the Americans ten days ago that she was ready to go ahead with the pact. “We don’t know their motive and as far as we know the Americans don’t know either,” the British official said.

Communist sources, however, revealed one possible reason for Soviet hesitation. They said Moscow will wait until the last minute so that disarmament talks are recessed immediately after presentation of the treaty. This way agreement could be put before the United Nations General Assembly in October on a take it or leave it basis.

The Russians want no interference in the agreement by the non-nuclear countries but consider it vital to keep the lines open to Washington at a time when the China problem is growing acute and war in Viet-Nam continuing. — Dawn-Express Service

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Karachi,] the Sui Gas Transmission Company yesterday [Aug 23] said that temporary arrangements for resuming the supply of natural gas “may not be possible before the end of this week”.

A Press release issued by the Company said that the breakdown occurred due to “a breach developed in the gas line under the Malir River bed as a result of severe scouring action”.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2017