The Palestine Liberation Organization missed its first opportunity to participate in a United Nations Conference. The PLO, granted observer status by the UN General Assembly last year, was automatically invited to attend the UN Legal Conference which opened here today. But no PLO delegates showed up, “Perhaps they will show up later or perhaps they are not interested in a conference devoted to technical legal questions,” a UN spokesman said.
The invitation extended to the PLO was sent to all so-called “liberation” organizations that hold observer status with the UN. The only one to attend was the Pan-African Congress of Tanzania. Austrian officials said the liberation movement delegates were entitled to “functional immunity” even if Austria does not recognize their parent organizations. Austria has no ties with the PLO, but last year, the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry’s political department, August Steiner, conferred with a PLO representative.
The UN Legal Conference is discussing the legal status of international organizations. The opening session was addressed by President Rudolf Kirchschlaeger of Austria. Sete Camara, of Brazil, was elected president of the conference.
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