NUCLEAR SUBS Australian ban stands

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33141, 3 February 1973, Page 15

NUCLEAR SUBS Australian ban stands

'.V.Z.P. A.Reuter—Coppnohtt CANBERRA, February 2. The British Secretary of Defence (Lord Carrington) met the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Whitlam) and the Defence Minister (Mr Barnard) briefly yesterday, on the first day of his Australian visit. Full-scale discussions will begin today.

Lord Carrington will discuss the future of defence arrangements in South-East Asia and is also expected to seek entry to Australian ports for British nuclear submarines on patrol in the Indian Ocean. Australia has refused entry to nuclear - powered United States vessels since 1971, pending a Government review of controls. The results of this review, ordered by the previous Government, have not yet been placed before the new Labour Government. In a statement yesterday, Mr Barnard said that the aim of the review was to develop conditions of entry to Aus ; tralian ports for both naval and commercial nuclearpowered shipping. , He said that last year the British Government had asked that a nuclear-powered submarine be allowed to visit an Australian port during an Indian Ocean cruise in 1973. It had been told that an answer would be given when the review was complete. On the five-Power arrangements, sources said that Lord l Carrington would be eager for an assurance that Australia would share the defence of the area with Bri-I tain. However, said the sources, he would be told that al-

though the Australian Government would not replace its present battalion and artillery battery on station in Singapore, a support group of 530 Australian servicemen would remain. Lord Carrington is the first senior representative of the British Government to visit Australia since the Labour Government was elected on December 2 last.