URGENT EMPIRE DEFENCE TALKS— British Envoy Arrives In Australia

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 March 1949, Page 5

URGENT EMPIRE DEFENCE TALKS— British Envoy Arrives In Australia

(Rec. 2 p.m.) DARWIN, This Day. Britain’s special envoy, Lord Listowel, arrived by air from England last night and will reach Canberra this afternoon. Lord Listowel, who is accompanied by his secretary, Mr W. A. C. Matheson, refused to discuss the nature of his business. He expects to stay in Australia one week and then go on to New Zealand.

It is learned authoritatively in Canberra that the main purpose of defence talks in the seven Dominion countries will be the establishment of a worldwide chain of Empire defence zones.

In discussions in Australia among the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Listowel), high British defence experts, the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Chifley), and the Australian Minister of Defence (Mr J. J, Dedman), zones of strategic responsibility will be allotted. A similar procedure is expected in New Zealand.

Each British country will have- the main responsibility for defence problems in its own zone, and the co-op-eration of other nations with terri-

torial and strategic interests in each area will be sought. The United States will be invited to participate in the Pacific zone, and France and the Netherlands in the zone north of Australia. The talks in Canberra will cover particularly Australia and New Zealand defence capacity in the South Pacific, with Manus Island and Fiji as the pivotal points.