Non-Aligned Countries

In 1981, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries marked the twentieth year of its existence, although at the time of its birth the capitalist press predicted that it would have a short duration, Since then the Movement has almost quadrupled its membership from 25 full members

at the First Summit Conference, held in Belgrade in 1961, to 95 members at the last

Summit Conference, which met in Havana in 1979.

Parallel with its numerical growth, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries has scored

significant achievements in the pursuance of its guiding principles as drawn up and

adopted at its at its inception, i.e..

(1) anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism and anti-neocolonialism, (2) struggle for for international detente,

(3) opposition to apartheid, racism and Zionisin, (4) opposition to military alliances,

(5) opposition to military bases of the imperialist powers on the territories

aligned countries or in colonial countries,

of the non

(6) economic and political cooperation between the countries of the so-called Third

World, and

(7) struggle for a new international economic order. The Movement has advanced over the years of its existence without any constituent

charter and has been guided in its activities only by a set of principles and rules formulated in the course of its work. This fact, just as the consensus used for the adoption of its documents and decisions, have given the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries the flexibility which is essential for preserving the harmony of such a heterogeneous body.

It was only at the Fourth Summit Conference, held in Algiers in 1973, where the decision was taken to establish a Coordinating Bureau made up of seventeen countries. This Bureau was given a very specific mandate, including the following tasks:

(a) preparation of the Fifth Summit Conference in Colombo, (b) preparation of a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the non-aligned countries, which was then held in Lima in 1975,

(c) coordination of the activities and positions of the member-countries and their governments, particularly within the framework of the United Nations, (d) study of the possibility of establishing a Permanent Secretariat of the Movement

and submission of recommendations to this effect, (e) assistance to the member-countries in the exercising of their responsibilities as regards the Programme of Economic Cooperation Between the Non-Aligned Countries, as

well as supervision over the implementation of that Programme..

The next Summit Conference, held in Colombo in 1976, provided in greater detail for the structure, operation and competence of the Coordinating Bureau. It was stipulated that between the Summit Conferences, "the Coordinating Bureau shall be the organ of the non-aligned countries charged with the task of coordinating their joint activities aimed at the implementation of the programmes adopted at the Summit Conferences, at ministerial conferences, at meetings of groups of non-aligned countries in the United Nations, and at other meetings of the non-aligned countries".