Aug. 7 slated for signing of ITRO pact

BINTAN, Indonesia (Aug. 2)—Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have set Aug. 7 for the signing ceremony that will officially create the International Tripartite Rubber Organization. The three nations signed an agreement in principle last December to form the new body, under which they will slash natural rubber production and imports in an effort to raise world prices. News reports from Southeast Asia, however, suggest troubled relations between Thailand and Indonesia over Thailand´s decision to sell off its 130,000-metric-ton NR stockpile, a move Indonesia feared would reverse the current upward trend in NR prices.