FIRST OFF . . .

United Nations Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar on Thursday called television the town crier of the 20th Century and a promoter of worldwide understanding--”the only hope for lasting peace.” In remarks videotaped for presentation to a Cable News Network conference in Atlanta, he said more than two-thirds of the estimated 750 million television sets are in developed countries, where the medium is the main news source. There are still many countries without a television service and the United Nations is committed to changing that, he said. “Television has helped the United Nations’ own handling of important international issues by raising public awareness and changing public attitudes,” he said, mentioning as examples environmental concerns, sex discrimination and the debt crisis. He said he hoped there would be a two-way flow of information and that viewers in developed lands would learn more about the great issues facing poorer countries. Television executives from countries whose political leaders rarely speak to one another are among those attending the conference that will conclude Saturday.