No Intention To Replace A.N.Z.U.S.

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30946, 30 December 1965, Page 8

No Intention To Replace A.N.Z.U.S.

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.

The present review of Western defence commitments east of Suez did not mean that the A.N.Z.U.S. and S.E.A.T.O. alliances would be supplanted, American officials said today.

The review had been initiated by Britain’s desire to eliminate wastage and duplication and to enable her to reduce defence costs if possible.

The British Prime Minister (Mr Wilson) discussed the issue thoroughly with President Johnson and other officials when he was in Washington earlier this month. A published report after the Wilson-Johnson talks said the British Prime Minister had proposed the establishment of an integrated British-Ameri-can-Australian-New Zealand force in South-east Asia.

American officials, however, said they had not heard of this suggestion and it had not come up for serious intergovernmental discussions.

They said that Britain, Australia and New Zealand would probably explore all the possibilities in the first place and that the United States would enter the discussions later.

The officials said emphatically that it was not contemplated that the A.N.Z.U.S. or S.E.A.T.O. arrangements would be replaced by some arrangement between Britain, the United States. Australia and New Zealand.

A.N.Z.U.S. ties together the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Britain is not a member. S.E.A.T.O: is the organisation to which belong all four countries and France, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan.