RED DISRUPTION IN EAST ISSUE AT EMPIRE TALKS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22889, 8 March 1949, Page 5

RED DISRUPTION IN EAST ISSUE AT EMPIRE TALKS

(N.Z.P.A.—Reuter —Copyright.) (10 a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 7

The date of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ conference, which was to have been held in May in Ceylon, may be brought forward to some time in April, says the Daily Telegraph’s political correspondent. Tlie plan for talks in Ceylon have been abandoned because of various difficulties, including a meeting of the United Nations in April and the impending elections in Canada. Australia, and possibly. South Africa.

Discussions are now proceeding to arrange an alternative date which would not clash with the United Nations meeting. The conference may be held in London or Ottawa.

Particular importance has been attached not only to the fact of the Foreign Ministers meeting the desirability of which was universally agreed at the Prime Ministers’ conference last October, but also to the lidding of it in tlie capital of the youngest Commonwealth nation. Ceylon is the natural strategic centre of tlie area whose problems will assume first importance in any discussions held. In view of the Comminist victories in China, Malayan disturbances, chaos in Burma, the necessity for concerted resistance to communism in the Indian Ocean area has been in the forefront of Mr. Bevin's mind. The Soviet press attacks on Mr. Nehru’s Indian Government, with outrages near Calcutta on February 2(1, in which three British subjects were murdered, have given rise to fears that India has been selected for the next stage in the Communist campaign of disruption in the East.

Whitehall regards as a great danger the weakening of India’s effort to raise the people’s standard of living. The dijtemma is that if resources are diverted to military preparedness, economic reconstruction may be postponed, thus creating favourable conditions for the spread of Communist influence. Further discussion on the means which can be adopted to raise India’s standard of living will be at the head of the agenda at the next Commonwealth meeting. Mutuql Defence and Red Activity

The talks will include subjects of mutual defence and Communist avtivity in South-East Asia, says Reuter’s political correspondent. The fact that the conference may be raised to Prime Ministerial level indicates the importance attached to an early contact. In Commonwealth quarters, the view is expressed that the situation Is fluid and it is too early to say whether a round table meeting would involve the Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers or possibly representation of both. Political quarters assume that in the proposed conference high priority would be given to communism in the Far East. The range of the conference, however, probably would also include problems of defence in relation to the Western Union and Atlantic Pact.