SEATO MINISTERS MEET TODAY

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28223, 11 March 1957, Page 9

SEATO MINISTERS MEET TODAY

Agenda For Canberra Conference (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, March 10. Representatives from the five Western and three Asian countries of the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation will meet in Canberra. The SEATO Ministers’ council is expected to deal with the appointment of a secretary-general, military aid to. South-East Asian countries, the extension of the treaty area and the allocation of costs among members. The representatives of Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and the United Kingdom will have before them for the first time detailed plans for countering Communist penetration into South-East Asia.

They will get from military advisers who met in secret session on Friday and Saturday plans for countering an armed attack. One conference source -said today that the most crucial areas for the security of South-east Asia were two States which are protected under the treaty—Cambodia anc Laos. The source said then? was a danger of these two States accepting “Trojan horse” gifts from Communist countries which might convert them from their present neutralism and bring the Communist frontier right up to the borders of Thailand. f Delegates are likely to discuss the present unrest in Indonesia but it is considered the situation has improved and that Indonesia will not be a major topic in- the discussions. Among other points likely to be on the agenda are:— The appointment of a secretarygeneral for the SEATO permanent council. An Asian, and possibly a Thai, is expected to get this post. Further allocations of direct military aid to help South-east Asian nations to strengthen their defences. Australia, which recently initiated semimilitary aid as a direct SEATO contribution, is expected to press for an extension of this scheme. Military exercises. A programme of military exercises for the next year including mass naval and air combined manoeuvres in the South China Sea. Extension of the treaty area. Although the SEATO treaty expresses the desire of all members to recruit new members, it was described as “unlikely” that any new nation would be admitted as a result of the present conference. [lndia. Burma. Ceylon and Indonesia are all openly on record as opposed to the SEATO concept. South Vietnam is understood to be willing to join but she could not be accepted without a breach of the Geneva Agreement.] The allocation of costs. Some members may press for the bigger nations to take a larger share of the costs of the organisation. At present, costs are distributed equally.