Reshaping world trade and aid

For two decades the rich countries have tended to shrug off the poor countries' demands for a new economic world order. An international commission chaired by former West German Chancellor Willy Brandt has now issued a report entitled "North-South, a Program for Survival."

The Brandt commission seeks:

* An international tax on trade with the heaviest tax on weapons sales.

* An agreement between oil producers and oil suppliers that would provide regular supplies of oil, predictable prices, encourage conservation, and stimulate oil exploration in the third world.

* An international currency to replace the dollar.

* Creation of a global fund for development.

* An $8 million a year fund for food aid to the third world.

The plan also proposes that a summit for 25 heads of state representing the major world groups.Presumably it would be aimed at getting the North-South dialogue off the ground.