Indian P.M. backs Gleneagles stand

Press, 29 August 1978, Page 2

Indian P.M. backs Gleneagles stand

jPA ' Wellington ; The Indian Prime Minister (Mr Desai) had asked the Canadian Prime Minister (Mr Trudeau) to tell the Nigerian Government that all Commonwealth countries had adhered to the Gleneagles agreement on sports contacts with South Africa, said the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) yesterday. Mr Desai had told him this in a letter received last Friday.

“It’s an interesting comment that the Prime Minister of India has taken the trouble to do that,” said Mr Muldoon.

Mr Desai had gone a step further than simply responding to the message he had earlier sent to Commonwealth leaders. Mr Muldoon said he had been told at the week-end by a former member of the New Zealand world golf team that Nigeria had been playing for the world cup, for which South Africa also competes, since 1971. Mr Muldoon said he would probably raise this matter when he discussed the Nigerian issue with the Commonwealth SecretaryGeneral (Mr S. Ramphal) at the Commonwealth finance

i ministers’ meeting in Montreal next month. i To a question, Mr Muldoon said the Government had not received a report yet on whether action could be taken against the chairman of the Halt All Racist Tours organisation (Mr Richards) under the Race Relations Act.

■ ’ Mr Muldoon said last week that the Minister of ■ Foreign Affairs (Mr Taiboys) t or the Attorney-General (Mr t Wilkinson) would be asked Ito report on whether Mr ■ Richards had committed a : breach under the act by • sending information about ! New Zealand sports contacts with South Africa overseas.