S.E. ASIA LEADERS AGREE TO CONFER ONCE MORE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30365, 14 February 1964, Page 11

S.E. ASIA LEADERS AGREE TO CONFER ONCE MORE

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) ■ • ; ’ PHNONPENH (Cambodia), February 13. President Macapagal of the Philippines and Tunku, Abdul Rahman, the Malaysian Prime Minister, agreed yesterday to meet President Soekarno of Indonesia to settle the explosive Malaysia dispute. A statement said that the Macapagal-Rahman talks had cleared the air of misunderstanding between the Philippines! and Malaysia.

The statement said that Malaysia welcomed a verbal memorandum from the Philippines about the Philippines’ claim to part of Sabah (North Borneo) and agreed to discuss as soon as possible the best way for settlement, of the claim. They apparently did not attempt to resolve immediately the question of. Sabah, formerly a British colony and now a part of Malaysia. This is still the main issue preventing a resumption of normal relations between the two countries. ' In Kuala Lumpur Turiku Abdul Rahman said: “We have not yet studied their claim. “I do not know whether they want Sabah, a strip of Sabah or the whole of Borneo, including Sarawak.”

A Malaysian statement issued in Phnompenh said Malaysia and the Philippines had “agreed to a resumption of friendly relations.” A Malaysian official said: “This simply means that they agreed to a move towards the establishment of consulates—it does not mean a resumption of full diplomatic relations.” The Philippines and Malaya had full diplomatic relations but these were not renewed after creation of the Malaysia Federation last September. The official said it was unlikely that diplomatic relations would be established until full relations were agreed on between Malaysia and Indonesia. Observers said the agreement offered Indonesia a pos-

sible similar course for the resumption of trade with Malaysia.

Krom New York it is reported that the United Nations Secretary-General, U Thant, gave his blessing to the. agreement among the three disputants to have Thailand supervise the cease-fire on. the . Sabah frontier. He Sidestepped a request that he make the formal appointment, saying he would limit, himself to “taking note? 4 ■ of the role Thailand will assume. His decision was interpreted as, a move to try to disengage the United Nations from the dispute, which the parties, themselves now are trying'to solve. The United Nations will not be involved financially

in the cost and expenses of the cease-fire operation conducted by Thailand. The cast will be shared by the governments concerned. In declining to make the formal appointment of the Government of Thailand to supervise the . cease-fire, while “taking note” of the agreement of the governments on this point, it. was thought that the SecretaryGeneral was safeguarding his own position against a possible adverse turn of events. Observers noted that the three governments had not proposed that the supervisory mission should be under United Nations control. Thus U Thant would not have formal authority over it, although he might be held liable by some critics if anything went wrong.