Commonwealth Talks Accord

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32233, 27 February 1970, Page 13

Commonwealth Talks Accord

CV Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, February 26.

The 28 presidents and prime ministers of the Commonwealth will hold their next summit conference in Singapore in January, 1971.

This decision was reached yesterday at a meeting of the high commissioners of the Commonwealth diplomatic missions and British Government representatives. The decision to hold the conference in January means that New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries will have a top-level forum in which to express views on Britain’s progress in its negotiations to join the Common Market. This may turn out tn be of some significance to Wellington, in view of the likelihood that the question of safeguards for New Zealand’s farm produce trade with the United Kingdom will be a focal point of the negotiations. Singapore was one of four sites which had been sugges-

ted for the conference. The others were London. Ottawa and Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad.

The timing of the conference was a determining factor in the choice of venue. It (was accepted that a winter i date ruled out Ottawa, and the Prime Minister of Britain (Mr Harold Wilson) was known to i have expressed a preference 'for a Commonwealth capital, other than London, for the next meeting. At an inconclusive meeting of the High Commissioners in London ten days ago Bri- ' tain and five other Commonwealth governments had come out firmly in favour of a meet- ! ing in July, but five others, including Australia. Canada and New Zealand, wanted it postponed until next year. The decision, which has to : be ratified by the Commonwealth heads of government, was based on a consensus of the meeting. The sources said that it was , determined by the views of a number of governments, mostly African, whose opin- ■ ions on the timing and place of the conference had not 1 been made at the previous I meeting. This will be the first time ! that the Commonwealth leaders will meet in the Far East. All the post-war conferences have been held in London, with the exception of the summit meeting in the Nigerian capital of Lagos in 1966.

The last Commonwealth prime ministers’ meeting was held in London in January: last year. The Commonwealth Secre-tary-General (Mr Arnold] Smith), who presided at yesterday’s meeting, was last night informing all the Commonwealth governments of the decision. The high commissioners were also sending reports to their home governments.