PM Transcripts

VISIT TO SOUTH EAST ASIA 1968
SA IGON
JOINT COMMUNIQUE. 9 JUNE 1968
At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Vietnam,
the Rt. Hon. J. G. Gorton, M. Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of
Australia, accompanied by Mrs. Gorton visited the Republic from 7 to 9 June,
1968. In Saigon, the Prime Minister was received by His Excellency, the
President, and had conversations with the Prime Minister of the Republic, the
Cabinet and the Presiding Officers of both Houses of the National Assembly.
Mrs. Gorton visited a refugee centre and saw something of the work being done
to rehabilitate the victims of communist attacks.
The Prime Minister of Australia and the leaders of the Republic
thoroughly reviewed the present situation. They agreed that regular consultation,
S as to which the Prime Minister' s visit formed a part, was particularly important
W now since, at the same time as preliminary talks were taking place in Paris,
North Vietnamese attacks on civilian centres were continuing and the infiltration
of North Vietnamese troops into South Vietnam was being increased. They
reaffirmed their determination, expressed by all the allies at the Manila
Conference, that the South Vietnamese should not be conquered by subversion,
terrorism, murder, and the use of organized aggressive force, but should
retain the right to choose their own form of Government and their own way of
life. Mr. Gorton paid tribute to the steadfaistness of the Vietnamese
Government, armed forces and people in the face of recent enemy offensives
and attacks on civilians in population centres. He said that Australia and the
Republic's other allies had noted with admiration the achievements of the
__ Vietnamese people who, in spite of a campaign of systematic terror and
Wdestruction had adopted a constitution, elected a representative Government
and were laying the foundations of national reconciliation and reconstruction.
The Vietnamese leaders expressed their appreciation and
gratitude for the continuous support and assistance extended by Australia to
their fight against communist aggression. They reasserted their position that
the Republic of Vietnam should be a full participant and play a major role in
any negotiations to settle the conflict. The Prime Minister and the leaders of
the Republic agreed that the allied nations which have helped to defend the
Republic of Vietnam should participate in any final settlement of the conflict.
The Prime Minister and his party visited Nui Dat, Vung Tau,
Phan Rang and Bien Hoa. These visits enabled the Prime Minister to meet
Australians fighting and working in the Republic the soldiers, sailors and
airmen of the Australian Force Vietnam, aid experts, and members of the
medical teams whose humanitarian work exemplifies the breadth of the
co-operation established between the two countries.
The Prime Minister expressed his warm appreciation for the
Vietnamese Government's invitation and for the arrangements that had been
made to enable him to deepen his understanding of the problems and aspirations
of the country.