miaje international con-
ferences this year, Canada
will have a key role at

OTTAWA (CP) —.
Canada ‘is well placed to
take the lead this year in

i the latest efforts to resolve each.

- Prime Minister Trudeau,
globe-trotting this winter in.
preparation for these
meetings, says: “I want to
take a leading role — if
things work well I'l try to
get credit for it.”

But no one expecis a
: quick round of meetings in

the enormous economic
problems of the | world’s .
por majority...

The North-South issue =- -
latest catchword — for.
economic relations bet-
ween rich and poor
countries —. will’ take
centre stage in at least four .

LITTLE AMERICA IN
WEST GERMANY

, WIESBADEN (AP). — After four ‘days in Little
America; the ex-hostages left West Germany |

' Iooking and feeling healthier and betier preparedto
face life at home agaln.

“From Day 1 to Day 4 there wis definite
progress in quite a few instances,” ‘said a military
source who spent every day with the’ freed
Americans during their stay at the U.S. Air Force
hospital in Wiesbaden. “There was definitely a
change. "

Deetors and other. officials at. the hospital
declined to speak with reporters after the 62 former
captives flew to the United States on Sunday.

But other hoepital personnel and othera who saw

them tly — as well as some of the ex:
"hostages themselves — sald the stay at the hospital
was 8 valuable aid in the readjustment from being
prisoners in. fran to heroes in America... =
- “They bave a lot of catching up to do, and they
. were grateful for ‘the treatment here," sald medic
Martin Bonneville.
“£ haven't met anyone yet among the hostages _
* who ié-champing at the bit to go home again,” |
former hostage Malcalm Kalp. of Fairfax, Va., told
reporters Saturday. .

“It’s a-big emotional withdrawal when you leave
there and come here, so this is a good idea to be
hate.”’

- An air force officer who helped with their arrival
last Wednesday sald that on Sunday “they looked
like different people.” ~

“They are shaved, they had haircuts, they had
new uniforms,” said the officer, who declined to be
identified; ‘If their families had seen them in the
condition they arrived in, it wouldn't have been
nice. But when they left, they looked rested, they
-were getting their heads together, putting order
back in thelr lives.”

Another officer said: “Of course, all were more -

- than anxious to go home, but eventually there was .

~Sgt;James Lopez, 22; of Globe, Ariz.,
waa rather vocal about it,” the officer added.
Several.of the 52 sald they valued the opportunity
just to talk together, All of them-had not been
together from the time they were taken captive
until they got an the plane from Tehran, and they

spent houra in pairs and small groups at the
hospital, talking over their experiences.

Col. David Roeder of Alexandria, Va., the deputy
alr attache at the embassy in Tehran, told reporters
on the third day of the stay: “I think we all pretty
much agree as we ait around at night, watching ‘the’
tapes and just talking, that the real heroes in this -
situation are not the hostages at all but are certainly
our families and; I personally think, the American

people.” .

Bonneville said although the hospital is 5,600
Wometres from the United States, “we have a
Little America here.”

“They felt at home... They really look more
relaxed now.” -

- Home- building |
- shows increase

“Western,

OTTAWA (CP) heed
Contractors atepped.up

home bullding in British,"

and New--.

Columbia © ;
foundlaid last year, but
housing slarta were down
sharply in other provinces,
Canada Mortgage and
Housing Corp. sald today.

Final statistics for 1980
showed housing starts in
B.C. totalled 37,546 units,
close to the record 37,727
set in 1976. Total starts in
Newfoundland rose. to
3,048, significantly better

than the 1979 figure but far

short of a record,
Analysis at the federal

hobsing agency attribute .
” the good

in the two
provinices to low apartitient
vacancy rates in dlties such
as Vancouver and &t.
John's and to strong
demand for new housing.

Arecent repert from the
agency said demand for
housing was high in B.C.

because of migration to the
from other parts
‘of. Canada, Demand in

Newfoundland was linked |
‘largely to exploration for

offshore oil.

However,
activity in two provinces
was more than offset by
declines In other parts of
Canada.

Total housing starta in .

Canada were 188,601 units
last .year. That's dbwn
from a disappointing
197,049 atarta in 1979 and
the worst year since the
194,474 starta of 1086.

The statistics wm housing
starts kept by CMHC cover
, all types of housing: Single
“detached units, semi-
detached and duplex

housing, row housing, and”
apartments and = con-
, dominium units.

The 1990 starts were

‘down for all types of

housing from’ 1979 figures.

Lend a hand...
to clean
our land .

increased’

one. year. will produce .
“magic solutions... :

“It is impossible to settle
the. problems: of in-
ternational development in
@ year," says one external
affairs department official.
“You may be talking about .
20 or 50 years. It hag been
going. oo fo ® years

_ key to breaking the logjam
_ in discussions between the -

industrialized” countries,

- locked -in' an economic

recession, and the poor

countries; ;
Trudeau will act as ‘
chairman - pf this year's

summit of ihe seven major
‘industrialized
countries in Ottawa: He has.
sald North-South will be on
the agenda,

‘Canada: wil alto ‘be’
represented ata meeting of
feadera from 25 rich and
poor countries .at Mexico
City: this summer. This —

--eogntry Is helping organize —

the conference; though |
there are signs it may not”

fake ‘place because of

reluctance of some states
to take part. ~~;

Last fall, Michel Dupuy,
Canada’s’ ambassador to

“an ad hoc UN,, committee
that tried-to launch global .

some bitterness about having to stay so long in the ame

negotlaticas among rich -

and poor countries on
economic issues. That
effort failed but Canada is

still trying to get the talks _.
going. am informal association of
Further discussions on -

procedures and agenda are
expected later this winter.
Potentially, ‘these
Tegotiations could involve
more than 150. UN mem-

bers and take months, if |
‘not years, to complete. '

Canada la also a leading

member of thé Com- °°

monwealth which is sure to

* discuss the North-South
Problem at its next con-._
ference this fall in’ Mel-
_ bourne, Australia, | -

“I think the Canadian ap-
proach should be looking

for concrete, but probably”

modest, bridges to. build

between the positions of the ©

developing countries and

the industrialized coun-'-
tries,” says Bernard Wood,

executive director of the

NorthSouth Institute. The
‘independent research

group studies economic

relations with poor nations, .

Canada has greater

credibility than most in-—
dustrialized Western states
with developing countries .

‘ficial siys: Canada im't

“tarred with ‘the same

brush’? aa Britain and
France in Africa because it
has no imperial past, And
this country is'a member of
the “likeminded group,”

small. European = and

Scandinavian states which -

are strongly favorable to

helping the un

derdeveloped world.
External

more te help oor coun

7 tries.
He announced Canada is -

golng to reverse & down:

‘ward trend “by gradually |
increasing ‘its foreign aid:
budget.'ta 5 per cent of,

gross national ‘product by

*-1965, In dollar terms, that’.

would more than double the

‘ gurrent budget’ of about ve

$1.2 billion a year.’

That would leave Canada : :
"-; well behind auch countries .
as Sweden, Norway ard the «

Netheflands,; which
provide aid at levels of

more than .9 per cent ‘of.
grosa national product, the -

sum ‘of goods and services

Butit ls well ahead of the
United States, where aid .

per “cent of GNP.
Development

. -Affalrs
Minister Mark MacGuigan‘

: signalled dost summer that
Canada is prepared: to do -

*_ Christmas
practical steps to help the
. developing world. These

sey Canada has one foot in

the industrialized camp

-eand. one foot in the

developing world That's
because Canada is still a
major ‘primary ‘producer,
seeking a better deal far its
primary:
many developing coun.
tries.

The Canadian delegation

found - itself joining, ‘and

sometimes leading, -the.:
developing group’in ‘nome :
- of the key: issues, ‘at tha,

‘United Nations Law ofthe

Sea ‘conference over the

fant few years.

‘But Canada may have to

do'more to.Jead than fudt~
talk about: a: “gradual ald
Inerense.

A parliamentary - sub-

: caminittee. on ‘North-South:

rdations produced: an 86-
page “report. just before
proposing

included such measures as

. ald “increages, trade ad-.
~ justments and pressure on —

world banking institutions

: to Improve ‘their lending

terms to poor countries,

An‘external affairs group ”

is considering these
recommendations and is,

preparing a government

plan for dealing with these

issues. That plan is likely to -

products like

be compléted in the next
three months.
“The rich-poor problem

‘has not appeared full-

blown on the international;

"_ptage. - ry

_it has gained increasing
attention in the decades —
following the Second World *

- War with. most of the ac: .
~~ tivity in the last 10 years,

Former, prime. ‘minister.

7 Lester ‘Peataon héaded an”:
. International, ‘commission

that prepdred a report on”
development for the World.
Bank {n 1970 . urging, in- *

'. dustrialized . ‘countries - to’
“set an ald target of. .7. per °; e

cent of GNP. But 20 years

, later ‘few countries. have.
- reached It. Von te

- Then’ the developing: °
world began to expand the ©
discusalon beyond © direet

foreign aid to include thelr “ “international. development - -
trade -atid
dealings with ‘rich’

‘financial
‘nations, -
‘The © poor-. ‘countries ~
clustered ‘together in: : the

““Group..of 77": to co- ..”
ordinate their’. demands.
ea Crean

We eastern ‘atates “ fortned *
* thelr own: group “and: the: .
hard ‘bargaining got ‘ynder”

way in the ‘United Nations
Conference on Tariffs and’
Trade (UNCTAD) and the-

ony common fund to ai
commodity prices and
‘relief. for’ poor.’ ‘comiion

- gouniries agreed tocanel
* mubstantial debts owed by

_ Mayeloping cquntries,

: Allan’ MacEachen, thea
‘éxternal. affairs. minister, -

"was cochalriman of the 1976"
 Parié. conferarice “but “it:

collapsed without wide’
agréement on ‘the main ie
eS: UNCTAD -
ferpnces also ‘bogged ‘down.
“Fhese slowanoving talks
“ate in stark ‘eontrast with
the Hote ‘of urgency: in- the:
1980; ‘report af ‘the? In.
"dependent: ‘commission on”

beaded. me way ‘Brandt,

: “in the beginnlgof the =

-1ebs thé world community ©
“faces omiuch = greater
" dangers ‘thea, “at any time -
« pinga’: the: “Second . Wortd
: Ware the. report sald." ;

at isclear thaf the world

tioning s0“badly:: ‘that “it

_, damages both ‘the -in-
mediate ‘and the longer-tun

interests cf. alll nations.”

eee yer eenree.
ruins =

‘ncaa