PACIFIC DEFENCE

Evening Star, Issue 25776, 26 April 1946, Page 8

PACIFIC DEFENCE

THE COMMONWEALTH TALKS WIDE MEASURE OF AGREEMENT LONDON, April 24. ' A wide measure of agreement was reached so quickly in the first phase of the Commonwealth talks—those between the British, Australian, and New Zealand Ministers—that they are left with practically nothing to do until the second phase, into which FieldMarshal Smuts will enter, commences, says .the Australian Associated Press: The most striking feature is that Britain accepted the Australia-New Zealand pact, including Regional Securing Councils and a South Seas Commission, as her policy for the Pacific. Another is that she fully supports Australia's attitude regarding United States requests on Pacific bases. - It is learned from.a most reliable source that agreement between the United Kingdom arid the ■ Pacific do-' minions was achieved without a struggle. " There was expositions, but no arguments," was how' one observer described the proceedings. Another decision pleasing to the, Australians was that, irrespective of what happened at the Foreign Ministers' Council in or whether draft treaties were completed, there must be a peace conference at which all active belligerents in the European, war can participate and have a chance of reviewing the proposed treaties. POLICY ENDORSED. The Australian and New Zealand policy regarding the future of strategic bases in the South and South-west Pacific, such as Manus Island, received unreserved United Kingdom endorsement at to-day's session-off the Commonwealth talks, says the Australian Associated Press. The policy can be summed up that there shall hot be any piecemeal base-by-base settlement, but, instead, over-all regional defence arrangements between all nations interested in the area, which will fit into the framework' of the United .Nations Organisation. This policy was clearly set out in the Australia-New Zealand pact. The United States will be one of the nations invited to participate, together with the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and perhaps the Phillipines and Java if they aro granted independence. No time is yet fixed for the conference or the method of convening it. The United Kingdom representatives clearly recognised the Australian and New Zealand predominant interest in the South and Southwest Pacific. DOMINIONS' CONTRIBUTION TOO SMALL.

New Zealand's lepresentative, Mr Walter Nash, told the ' Daily Herald's ' political correspondent that the question of defence contribution by the dominions would be raised during the London discussions. He said: " Except in war time I do not think .we in.the dominions have done enough for our common needs. That question, even if it is unpopular, will have to be faced."