BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

Evening Star, Issue 25083, 26 January 1944, Page 5

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

POST-WAR UNITY NEED FOR COMMON FOREIGN PODGY OTTAWA, January 24. "Britain could hardly claim equal partnership with the United States, Russia, and China after the war without the rest of the Empire. Therefore, the British Common/wealth must fortify the partnership by unity of action as well as thought on all vital international issues," said Lord Halifax in a speech at the Board of Trade centenary celebrations at Toronto. He said: "History will recognise the British Commonwealth's unshaken staunchness as a decisive factor of the war. Before accepting the conclusion that- all is at present for the best, we should remember that the Statute of Westminster, wfhile assuring complete self-govern-ment, left unsolved obstinate problems of foreign policy and defence. Self-de-termination in external affairs is plainly a loss of responsibility, for action is not shared by all. It will be an immeasurable gain if on vital issues we can achieve a comimon foreign policy, expressed not by a single voice, but in unison. Otherwise the dominions .will again face the inexorable dilemma of September 2, 1939, of having to <:.>n : form''to- aii unshared policy or aliiCi aside and see the Commonwealth shattered. The solution may be in maintaining and extending tho present war-time planning and consultation; procedure. Not Britain alone, but the Britisb Comimoniwealth, must be the fourth Power in the group of nations—the United States, Russia, and China—-, on which the peace of the world will henceforth depend."