Another Major Topic: Far East Defence

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 24

Another Major Topic: Far East Defence

(By the London correspondent of “The Press”) LONDON, July 9. When the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) comes to London he brings a full briefcase. He showed this today by producing yet another major topic from his bag for toplevel discussion with the new British Government.

After useful discussions with the Minister of Agriculture (Mr James Prior) on Wednesday about the proposed new levies on imported food and Common Market discussions with Mr Anthony Barber on Monday and the Prime Minister (Mr Heath) yesterday, Mr Marshall closed his third day with a talk on Far East defence with the new Secretary of State for Defence (Lord Carrington). Mr Marshall’s purpose was to discuss the application of the Government’s pre-election promises of halting the withdrawal of British troops from Singapore and Malaysia, retaining the British presence there and making a fivePower defence arrangement with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. It appears that the new Government envisages a British force of no more than one or two battalions of ground troops, a small naval squadron, and some maritime reconaissance aircraft and transports. Mr Heath has estimated the cost O f the abbreviated Far East force at £lOO million a year (half the present cost), but much will depend on the result of the talks Lord Carrington .has with Malaysia, Singapore. Australia, and New Zealand, and what all five agree a force should comprise. Such indications as have been given make it increasingly apparent that the effect of the Conservative policy on Far East defence will not be so different from that of the Labour Government. Early talk by Conservative spokesmen of “reversing” Labour’s withdrawal policy was soon tempered to “halting” the

withdrawal, and establishing the flve-Power defence arrangement.

Lord Carrington is not a stranger to New Zealand. He visited the country in 1961 as First Lord of the Admiralty, he is a former High Commissioner to Australia, and has been chairman of the Australia and New Zealand Bank

A key question to be discussed on his trip will be the shape of the treaty needed to create the five-Power arrangement. The possibilities are the unlikely course of expanding the 1963 Anglo-Malaysian Defence Agreement which commits British troops in the event of an external attack on one as an attack on all, but would call for nothing more than consultation.

They discussed in general terms such aspects as the size of the British contribution to the defence group, the logistic support that New Zealand could rely on for its troops there, the location of defence forces in the area, and the question of command.

Mr Marshal! said later that it was probable that Lord Carrington would visit New Zealand soon to discuss these matters at greater length Lord Carrington has yet to announce the date of the

visit However, it could be as early as next month. Lord Carrington has said that he wants to visit the British Army of the Rhine fairly soon, and make his Far-East, visit during the Parliamentary recess—which latter will probably be taken from about July 24 through to September.

As the “East-of-Suez” policy was a major Conservative election plank; he is thought likely to make his trip early in the recess.

Also with the scope of the discussions is the present dilemma of the Foreign Secretary (Sir ’Alec DouglasHome) over Commonwealth opposition to his desire to resume arms sales to South Africa. Sir Alec DouglasHome has said that he regards South Africa as being of great strategic importance in the defence of South-East Asia against the threat which he sees—and which Australia sees—in the growing Russian naval presence in the Indian Ocean. If a decision has not been made before the recess, it is a question which Lord Carrington will undoubtedly canvas with New Zealand and the other Commonwealth countries on his Far East visit.