News In Brief

General Assembly asks for new Falklands talks

The UN General Assembly adopted by an 87-to-9 vote Wednesday a resolution calling for the resumption of negotiations between Argentina and the United Kingdom on the status of the Falkland Islands. The US voted in favor of the resolution (against its British ally), and France abstained.

The U.K. opposed the resolution on grounds it did not express any recognition of the importance of self-determination for the islands' residents, Monitor UN contributor Louis Wiznitzer reports. Observers here believe that eventually, with temperaments in London and Buenos Aires cooling off, a negotiatied settlement can be worked out.

Commonwealth leaders meeting in New Delhi next week are expected to take up the issue, with third-world nations urging Britain to open negotiations with Argentina.