A daily pick of news events that happened on this day from the pages of Gulf News dated February 18, 1980.
Bani-Sadr tightens the screw on Carter
United States has agreed to the proposed make-up of a five-member commission to investigate alleged crimes of the deposed Shah, but moves to obtain the release of US Embassy hostages hit on a fresh stumbling block.
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The hitch arose following the refusal by the US to give an apology for its past actions as demanded by Iran. Iranian President Abol-hassan Bani-Sadr reiterated that the US must recognise its past record of interference in Iran before the hostages are released.
Three policemen dead in Izmir
An uneasy calm prevailed in violence-swept Ghettos of Izmir, Turkey's third largest city, following shoot-outs between security forces and leftist militants that left three policemen dead.
Bolstered by armoured vehicles riot police searched house-to-house in at least six neighbourhoods in a bid to track down leftist extremists who have clashed with police in the past 10 days.
Soviets 'fly Aden troops to Kabul'
Soviet planes have transported two South Yemeni infantry regiments recently to Afghanistan, where they will fight on the side of the Afghan regular army and other Soviet and East European troops against Muslim insurgents.
The arrival of the Yemeni regiments in Kabul was "part of an operation of replacing Soviet troops in Afghanistan by other troops, who have mostly been drawn from East Europe." The new South Yemen role became possible after Aden and Moscow ratified a treaty of friendship and co-operation earlier this month.
Mrs Gandhi dissolves nine state assemblies
The Government of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dissolved nine state assemblies controlled by the opposition.
Fresh state elections will be called and Mrs Gandhi's Congress (1) Party will hope to repeat the landslide victory it won in last month's national elections. Those dissolved were in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Iran, Turkey sign accord
Turkey and Iran initialled a road transport agreement, waiving any transit fees for goods transporting from one country to the other or passing through one of them on their way to or from a third country.
The two sides also decided to form a standing joint committee to implement the new transport agreement. The Turkish Foreign Ministry official who initialled the agreement, said the pact would solve the long-standing thorny problem of transit fees which had placed strain in the past on relations between the two neighbours.
