Soekarno To Visit Pakistan

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 7

Soekarno To Visit Pakistan

KARACHI, Dec. 28. President Soekarno, of Indonesia, has accepted an official invitation to visit Pakistan, it was learned today. He is expected to make the visit after his tour of India, which is scheduled to start on January 7.

The Foreign Minister said Indonesia wanted to buy .arms which were needed "badly and urgently,” from the United States but negotiations were too slow Earlier reports said an arms request had gone unanswered by Washington for six months. A mission likely to be led by Colonel Jani, one of the deputy Army Chiefs of Staff, was reported to be scheduled to set out next week, the agency said. Dr, Subandrio said Indonesia’s request was not a new question as it had been raised by the Administration of the former Premier. Mr Ali Sastroamidjojo, but the matter appeared to be “very complicated” for the United States Dr. Subandrio said ’ Indonesia mentioned the request repeatedly to the United States State Department and recently to Mr Gordon Mein, the State Department expert who visited Indonesia this month.

Nothing positive had so far come of the request. Dr. Subandrio declined to tell the value of the arms Indonesia wanted to buy from the United States. He said the request was to fill the "routine" need by the Army for various types of light arms, and had no connexion with recent developments in Indonesia.

Besides the United States, Indonesia also held discussions on arms with Switzerland, Sweden. France, and Italy. The Premier also defended Indonesia’s anti-Dutch reprisals in the campaign for Dutch West New Guinea in an interview with Indonesian reporters. “War Not Wanted” Dr. Djuanda said that Indonesia did not want war with Holland. - He said Indonesia wanted negotiation on West Irian on the basis of the sovereignty of the territory being transferred to Indonesia. “In our struggle to regain West Irian we are not adopting an antiWest attitude, as has been much propagated abroad,” he said. "I would like to ask Dutch leaders what proofs they have to brand us as anti-West?

“No other foreign enterprises have been taken over except for Dutch-owned,” he said, according to Pia news agency. ‘‘‘lf there were such cases, they were due to a misunderstanding and have been or are being corrected by the Government.

“To prove we are not anti-West 1 can state here that the Government is considering expanding the concession granted to the Stand-ard-Vacuum Oil Company." Dr. Djuanda said: “All actions, which are now under the Government’sl full control, have strengthened Indonesia’s position in the struggle and have opened new prospects for the gradual surmounting of the difficulties faced.”

He said Indonesia would make shipping agreements with other countries, similar to that under which ships were chartered from Japan. “K.R.M. itself has asked us If we are prepared to charter or buy the company’s ships which have been plying Indonesian ports, but we will never accept this offer,” he said. “In any case we are not going to give the Dutch any more privileges.” Pia quoted the Premier as saying that his Government was not informed of any plans to arrange a meeting between President Soekarno and Mr Macmillan in India. But if such a meeting took place he did not see any harm. Dr. Djuanda said: “Their interests will receive in this country the same treatment as those of other countries. This will be our

stand if negotiations are to be conducted later. With Japan our relations will be within the framework of Asian-African friendship and co-operation.” The Government hoped that President Soekarno in his forthcoming holiday would have a chance to hold talks with the leaders of friendly countries about Indonesia’s campaign for West New Guinea, Dr. Djuanda said.