6000M
WB _ 0IlII NQ DATE
M/ 88 30 May 1973
OVERSEAS VISIT BY SPECIAL MINISTER OF STATE
The Special Minister of State, Senator Willesee, will
leave Australia early next month to visit a number of African
Scountries. Announcing this today, the Prime Minister and Minister
for Foreign Affairs, Mr Whitlam, said that Senator Willesee would
be travelling as his nersonal emissary and would be making the
first contact by a Minister of the new Australian Government with
political leaders in those countries.
Senator Willesee will arrive in Ghana on 13 June and then
visit Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Mauritius. He
will travel to Africa via Brussels, where be will preside at a
meeting of Australian Ambassadors to member countries of the EEC.
He will also pay brief private visits to Rome, London and Dublin.
Mr V hitlm said he hoped that Senator Willesee's visit
would help consolidate the improvement in Australia's standing
with African countries resulting from the Government's new policies
against racism and colonialism.
This is the first time in ten years that an Australian
Minister has undertaken a tour of East and West Africa.
Mr Whitlam said: " The Australian Government believes
that Australian Ministers have in the past paid insufficient
attention to the more than 200 million black Africans on the
continent of Africa. / 2
-2-
" The 35 black African countries comprise more than one
quarter of the membership of the United Nations and twelve of them
are members of the Commonwealth. They will continue to constitute
an important and at times vocal influence in world affairs."
The Prime Minister said that the Government believed it
was time to show a more positive interest in African affairs. By
its voting on various resolutions in the UN, the Government had
already shown its sympathy with and understanding for the aspirations
of all black Africans for racial equality, majority rule and
indenendence. By its program of self-government and independence for S
Papua New Guinea, its determination to improve the welfare of its
own Aborigines, and its signature and forthcoming ratification of
various UN conventions on human rights and the elimination of
racial discrimination, Australia was showing her adherence to these
orinciples. Equally Australia gave her ready support to countries
sharing these views.
Mr Whitlam said that during his visit Senator Willesee
would also seek views on questions likely to arise at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Ottawa in August.
Senator Willesee will be accomnanied by Mrs Willesee, as 0
well as by Dr J. W. C. Cumes, of the Department of Foreign Affairs,
and his Private Secretary, Mr G. Briot.