High Commissioner Going To Lagos

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30952, 7 January 1966, Page 1

High Commissioner Going To Lagos

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, January 6. The New Zealand High Commissioner in London (Sir Thomas Macdonald) will represent the Dominion at the Commonwealth summit meeting on Rhodesia, which will begin in Lagos on Tuesday.

Sir Thomas Macdonald, a former Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Defence, will, be a fully accredited spokesman for New Zealand, not a mere observer. He will lie joined in Lagos by the Secretary for External Affairs (Mr A. D. Mclntosh) who flew from Wellington tonight for the talks. The meeting is expected to take several days.

Wellington authorities yesterday denied suggestions that New Zealand had misled or “double-crossed” Australia over her attitude to the talks.

A report from Australia on Wednesday quoted an Australian Federal Government spokesman in Melbourne as saying Australia and New Zealand would send only observers.

Other reports quoted the Australian Prime Minister (Sir Robert Menzies) as saying that New Zealand would be following Australia’s example in sending only an observer.

Sir Robert Menzies was quoted as saying that such a New Zealand Cabinet decision had been forwarded to him before he made his announcement recently rejecting direct Australian participation in the talks and predicting “disastrous” and “bitter” results. The External Affairs De-

partment yesterday checked with Canberra but could find' no evidence of any such official statements having been issued. The split in Australian and

New Zealand attitudes had been expected. For some time it had been taken for granted that New Zealand would be represented at the meeting, although probably not by the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake). Officials were surprised al the Australian reports and said there had never been a

decision to send only an observer.

No draft order paper for the Lagos conference has been circulated. Rhodesia will be the sole topic. MODERATE VIEWS New Zealand has few. if any, firm proposals to make. Its views will be based on moderation. The Government has never favoured the taking of extreme measures against Rhodesia because it believes that at some time there must be a reconciliation between Britain and the white settlers.

Any extreme measures now. the Government ■ believes, would make it more difficult eventually to restore something resembling a multi-rac-ial partnership in Rhodesia For that reason. New Zealand policy remains consistent with its statements nd actions on Rhodesia in recent months. Sir Thomas Macdonald will leave London today for Lagos He was particularly well qualified to represent New Zealand, Mr Holyoake said “Not only has he been a former Minister of External Affairs, he has also been associated with me in London and has participated in all the earlier meetings of Commonwealth Prime Ministers at which the Rhodesian question has been discussed," Mr Holyoake said. The Australian observer will be its High Commissioner to Nigeria (Mr R. W. C. Crimes).