Holland Relying On V Thant

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29745, 12 February 1962, Page 11

Holland Relying On V Thant

(N .ZP.A.-Reuter—Copyright) THE HAGUE, February 11. The Netherlands Government said yesterday it would repudiate private contacts with Indonesian diplomats on the New Guinea issue because such contacts could “endanger the results of U Thant’s efforts” to solve the problem. In an official statement published in The Hague yesterday, the Government referred to newspaper reports about private persons’ contacts with Indonesian diplomats.

It recalled that the United Nations Secretary-General (U Thant) was conducting talks with Indonesian and Netherlands representatives “in order to make bilateral talks in his presence possible.”

“The Government’s rejective attitude towards such private contacts is based on the conviction that they could endanger the success of U Thant’s activities. “It wishes to stress once again that it sees no use in bilateral talks,” the statement said. Government Criticised

In Melbourne on Friday night, the Leader of the Australian Opposition (Mr Arthur Calwell) accused the Government of “appeasement in its worst form” in its attitude towards Indonesian claims to West New Guinea. “This is a moment in our history when bold and decisive action is not only the proper course but the safe course. Indonesia will retreat quickly enough if we stand firm,” Mr Calwell said. Describing Indonesia's threatened seizure of West New Guinea as sheer aggression, Mr Calwell added: “We stand for the fight of selfdetermination and for implacable opposition to aggression.

"ft Indonesia seeks to deny the principles of the United Nations Charter and to use force to create a potential threat to Australia’s security, then I say, with all due regard to the gravity of the situation, that the threat must be faced.” In its continued silence on this issue the Government was not even maintaining its own professed attitude of impartiality. “While the Indonesians boast loudly of the build-up of their armed forces and of their intention to seize West New Guinea by force, our Government is apparently prepared to see the Dutch denied even the maintenance of the meagre forces they already have in West New Guinea.” Mr Calwell said.

“In other words, while Mr Menzies talks about free negotiation without duress, he is. in fact, prepared, even happy, to see the Dutch position slowly deteriorate until they have no choice but to capitulate to aggression

“In the face, of Indonesian threats to seize West New Guinea by force without reference to the United Nations, the Menzies Government proposes to do precisely nothing. Could anything be more shameful?” Mr Calwell said Australia’s security depended on the islands surrounding the country. If Indonesia moved into West New Guinea in a blatant act of aggression, could

Australians be satisfied that it had no aggressive intentions towards Timor, then Papua-New Guinea. and finally, Northern Australia, he asked. In a statement issued tonight in reply to Mr Calwell. Mr Menzies Said that for Australia to declare war against Indonesia in the event of aggression against Dutch New Guinea would be “clearly crazy and irresponsible."

Mr Menzies said Mr Calwel'l’s vaguely bellicose attitudes did nothing but harm.

“No nation has more to gain by peace and the peaceful and just settlement of disputes in and around South-east Asia than Australia,” Mr Menzies said. "No nation has given clearer evidence of its attachment to the principle that under-developed peoples should have, after adequate and helpful preparations, the choice of their own future

“No country has done more in an endeavour to secure a persuasion of Indonesia against use of force. “To call our policy and actions ‘appeasement’ is to trifle with the facts and to gamble with the future of our country.

“Whatever results may be —and we do not despair of peaceful and just solution — Mr Calwell appears determined to create an atmosphere which would make it difficult in future to live in a state of harmony with our neighbours.” Mr Menzies said there was not much common sense or

understanding of fact* in Mr Calweil's statement. Mr Calwell’* keynote was that, “If Indonesia seeks to use force to create a potential threat to Australia’s security, then I say with all due regard to gravity of situation that the threat must be faced.”

Mr Menzies asked: “What does this mean? If it means Australia should be ready and willing to protect Australian New Guinea and Papua, the answer is that I said so in my statement of Government policy on January 12—a statement which stands.

“If this statement means that an Australian Government should convey m relevant quarters its views against aggression and in favour of self-determination, the answer is that my own Government has done *o oil very many occasions."

Children Hurt

(N Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY. Feb. 11.

Two children were knocked unconscious when they touched fallen wires during a violent electrical storm near Newcastle yesterday. The »ame storm tore down a boxing tent aeveral miles away, trapping 250 people for about 15 minutes. Rain, hail and gales brought down power lines and hundreds of television antennas and wrecked roofs, fence* and gardens.