PM Transcripts

FOR MEDIA 5 JUNE 1979
VISIT BY BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
I am very pleased to announce that the newly elected Prime Minister
of Great Britain, the Rt Hon. Margaret Thatcher, MP, has accepted
an invitation to visit Australia and will be here on 30 June
and 1 July. The visit is particularly welcome, coming as it
does so soon after Mrs Thatcher's assumption of office.
Mrs Thatcher's association with Australia is a long standing one,
which is appreciated by all of us. She visited Australia in
1972 and again in 1976, and her visit on this occasion as Prime
Minister will serve to emphasise the close consultation that
has been such a feature of relations between Australia and
Britain over the years. Both Governments value their close
association, which reflects the very real interests and traditional
ties between our two countries.
As -ell as providing an opportunity for a broad review of
Aus-ralia-United Kingdom relations, the visit will permit both
Pri-. e Ministers to discuss other important mratters, including
the results of th* e Tokyo Sumit, the forthcoming Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Lusaka in August, and
international developments generally.
All Australians will give Mrs Thatcher a very warm welcome during
her visit.