NQ DATE
M4/ 30 28 January 1973
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, IR E. G. V1HITLkM, ON THE SIGNING
OF THE VIET-NAM4 CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
0 Mr WThitlam, said today that the Australian Government welcomed
the cowaing into force of the ceasefire agreement this morning,
Australian time.
He said that the Government sincerely hoped that the
agreement would provide the basis for a lasting peace in that
country and that peace would quickly come to the other countries
of Indo-China, Laos and Cambodia.
Mr Whitlam repeated that Australia stood ready to play
its part in an international effort for relief arnd reconstruction
in both North and South Viet-Nam and, if possible, in Indo-China
as a whole. He said that the signing of this agreement was a
beginning but that its success in bringing about progress toward
a lasting settlement would depend on the readiness of the parties
to make further concessions in the interest of achieving a lasting
political solution, and the extent to which the agreement proved
an adequate framework for -the settlement of disputes over its
implementation and for the negotiations that were to follow. / 2
Roth sides haa made concessions in order to arrive
at the present ceasefire agreement, Mr Whitlam said. The
conclusion of the agreement was a major achievement in itself.
Acts of violence and intimidation were likely to continue, at
least in the early stages, and there could even be outbreaks
of fighting in particular regions. But the dimensions of the
suffering and destruction should be substantially reduced.
Beyond that, there was the possibility that the two
sides would eventually be able to hammer out, in direct
negot'-iations and by a further process of mutual concession,
political arrangements under which all the people in South
Viet-Nam would be able to make a genuine choice as to the
Government they wanted, and under which the NLF and its
supporters would have an opportunity of legitimate representation
in the future Government. There would be a need on both sides
for restraint, patience, and com~ passion. But the opportunity
was there. Mr Whitlam said his Government shared the concern that
had been expressed in various international quarters that the
ceasefire agreement appeared to contain no detailed provisions
for ending the fighting in Laos and Cambodia.
" iBut the expected withdrawal of foreign troops from
both -these countries should make it easier for their peoples 6o
settle their differences free from outside interference," he said.
" We hope and expect that the contending forces in those
countries, both victims of the Indo-China war, will ' take the
opportunities which the agreement seems -to hold out," he added.
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" Australia is not a signatory to the ceaselire
agreement nor to any related Protocol.
" Nevertheless," Mr Whitlam said, " the Australian
Government takes note of the agreement and undertakes to
respect its provisions.
" The Australian military advisers and instructors
have been withdrawn from Viet-Nam. Arrangements for this
withdrawal were concluded on a bilateral basis with the Government
in Saigon and the final withdrawal took place on 23 December.
" Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, an
international conference is to be called within thirty days.
Australia will not be represented at that conference. Australia
will, however, attend a separate international conference, if one
is convened, to consider ways and means of providing aid to
Indo-China. " It is in this field that the Australian Government
sees itself as making a particular contribution in the future.
" The A-stralian Government welcomes and supports the
settlement which has been reached. We hope that, in the first
instance, it will lead to the scaling down of the fighting.
e also hope that, in the longer term, it will lead
to the reconciliation of the contending political forces
within Viet-Nam and give the inhabitants of that war-torn
country an opportunity to determine their own future by truly
democratic means in conditions of peace."
( NOTE: The ceasefire is to come into force at 24.00 hours
G. M. T. on 27 January 1973.)