SINGAPORE SUMMIT Secretary’s view of arms issue

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32494, 2 January 1971, Page 15

SINGAPORE SUMMIT Secretary’s view of arms issue

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 1. The controversy about Britain’s proposed arms sales to South Africa may be less damaging to the Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore later this month than has been feared, according to Mr Arnold Smith, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

“It remains my belief that the differences Of view over the security of the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic sea routes may, if seriously discussed with give-and-take round the table, and if assessed in a sufficiently extensive time frame, be found not to be irreconcilable,” Mr Smith says in a report published today. “The issue has been threshed out by Common-

wealth leaders already, in consultations.” In his report, covering the last two years, Mr Smith gives a warning that American, Japanese and European protectionism could unleash a trade war, but he says that there should be adequate safeguards to protect commonwealth countries if Britain enters the European Common Market. African and Caribbean countries should not be forced to choose between losing their British markets and imposing new discriminations against other parts of the world, Mr Smith says. He gives a warning, too, that one 'of the dangers facing the world in the next 20 years is economic isolation, with continents ranged as in-ward-looking blocs. “Most of the problems in the world would arise in relations between industrialised and developing countries, and the Commonwealth could be increasingly relevant in such a situation,” he says. Political observers interpret Mr Smith’s reference to South Africa and a “time frame” as indicating his hope that the British Prime Minister (Mr Heath) will postpone for some time any decision on supplying arms. Mr Smith also says in the report that South Africa’s economic and paramilitary support of white-ruled Rhodesia was a major difficulty in the way of establishing democratic majority rule there.

“The virtually complete withdrawal of all the remaining foreign representatives from Salisbury was a 'clear demonstration of the international community’s resolve not to recognise the illegal regime,” he says. “Non-recognition of a tiny minority of about 100,000 adults who keep 5,000,000 black Africans in subservience in part of southern Africa does not, however, resolve the problem.”