World Notes CAMBODIA

In the latest example of the United Nations' new potency as a force for peace, the five permanent members of the Security Council unanimously agreed last week on the boldest plan yet proposed to end 11 years of fighting in Cambodia. With U.S., Soviet and Chinese backing, the initiative calls for the U.N. to dispatch a military force of 10,000 and another 10,000 civilians to oversee free elections in the strife-torn nation. The U.N. would also supervise creation of a supreme national council to serve as an interim administration. It would comprise representatives of the two noncommunist resistance groups, the communist Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese-backed government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, all of which say they endorse the plan.

If the four factions succeed in drawing up plans for the supreme council when they meet this month in Jakarta, the U.N. plan would be put before the General Assembly for a vote. The agreement, which signals an end of superpower sponsorship of the warring groups, could be the most compelling argument.