r/
. PR T INISTERS' CONFERNCE CMNIQUE
STh follow-ing is the text of the final communique:-
The meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers was con llded
' today. Pais-tan,, Ghana and Cyprus were represented by their
Prs-iderO74/ 4 The other Commonwealth countries were represented
by tbheJ-r Prime Ministers.
2. It had been agreed that on this occasion the Prime
Ministers would concentrate the-itjainoattention on a limited
number of specific problems which are'currently-of-fcommon concern
to them all namely, disarmament, the structure of the United
Nations and certain-onstitutional Problems affecting the Commonweal-
thr-t-tclf.-At the outset of the meeting, however, the
Prime Ministers held a general review of the international
~-situation as a whole, in order to sot these particular problems
in the perspective of current world events. They also considered,
in the course of their meeting, recent.. dovelopments in the Congo
aand in South East Asia.
3. The Prime Ministers re-affirmed the support of their
Governments for the efforts of the United Nations to restore
order in the Congo and to secure the independonce and integrity
of the Republic. They deplored outside intervontion in the
Congo and recognisod that many of the problems which had arisen
were due to such inturvention. They considered that the
United Nations forces in the Congo should be strengthened and
that the Security Council resolution of the 21st February
should be fully implernonted.
The Prime Ministers noted with concern the situation
which had developed in Laos. They-ox. pressed the hope that the
part us would be able to reconcile their differunces, that intcrvent
on from outsid would cease, and that Laos would be , nablcd.
to etjoy an independent, noutral and peaceful oxistonc,.
The Prime Ministers held a full discussion on the
problem of disarmament. They recognisod that this was the most
important question facing the world today and considered that
a favourable opportunity was now at hand for a fresh initiative
towards a settloment Df it. They agroed that the aim should be
to achieve general and complet disarmament, subject to effective
inspection and control, on the general lines indicated in the
statement in Annex 1 of this communique. They rocall. jd the
resolution on gonoral and c:) mplote disarmament, which was adopted
unanimously at the 14th session of the General Assombly. They
agreed that every offort should be made to implement this
resoluti-n. by agroeement betwooeen the major powers, and that
further nogotiati. ons fo-r this purpose were necessary. Certain
pr posals d6signd to promot such negotiations have booeen put
by various c-untrios before the United Nations.
6, The Prime Ministors expressed their h'pe that the
negotiations on the cessation of nuclear weapons tests which
were due to re-opon atGav.-on--21st March, would lead to the
early conclusi-n _ f an agreoment-n . this subject. Such an
agreement apart fr': m its imrortance in itself would providc i
powerful impetus towards agreement on disarmament generally.
7. The Prime Ministers c-nsiderod the various proposals
which have recently booeen put forward for changes in the structure
of its Councils, the position the Sacr ; tary-G. noral and the
ganisati. n -f the Secretariat. They recognised that such
changes could Dnly be made with general consent. They agroo
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that whatever adjustments night be made it remained vitally
important t) uphild thc purp) scs and principles f the United
Nti-ns Charter and to prcsrve the internatienal and independet
character -f the Secretariat. They furthcr agreed that members
-f the C. r-mmnw-alth sharOd with all nati-ns a fundamental
coL -M interest in naintaining the integrity ) f the United Natiens
as a fcrco fer -? rderly p:-litical ecn-ic and secial -pr-grcss
thr-ughut the werld.
8. The Prime Ministers alse discussed certain cnstitutional
questiens relating te Ci~ n wicalth membership. The
c nclusi-ns reached were annnunced in cnauniques issued -, n
13th, 15th and 16th March relating respectively to Cyprus, S-uth
Affica and Sierra Leene. The text ef these ceriDruniquos is
repreduced in Annex 11.
CANBERRA 18th March, 1961
ANNEX I DISARM4ENT
Aim
1. The air must be t-aciivc ttal wrid-wido disarmaiont-,
subject to effective ins,, ction and contr.) l.
2, In viOw of the slaughter anc! dcstructi-n experinccd
in so-called " convcntion~ al" wars and f the difficulty of
preventing a conventi-nal war, once strtd,--rm.. ovcJ~ Opin
into) a nuclear war, * ur ain must be " t-hing less than the
complete aholiti-' n the means of waginig war Df any kind.
Princiolcs
3. An agreement for this purpose should bc ncgotiated as
soon as possible, on the basis _ f the fDllowing principles:-
All national arrmed forces an, 1, anrmovamnts must be reduced
to the levels agreed to nocess-ry f-, r internal security.
Once started, the lprcess of c'isar' : a;, oent should be continued
without intorruDtion until it is comipleted,
subject to verification at each stage that all parties
are duly carrying -ut their undertakings.
The clininati-n of nulcar anc conventi-nal arma: ments
must be so phasoed that at no stage will any country
or grup of countries obtain a significant military
advantage. In respect of each phasc, there should bu established,
by agreement, off ctive nmac', inery inspection, which
shuld coe int-opc rati-n simuiltaneously with the
phase of di. sarmamnt to which it relates.
Disarm-i-ament sh-, uld', b. carrkd ut a s rapidly as Possible
in progressive staces, within s-ccifiod peri-ds -f timc.
At the a" ppropriat stage, a substantial and alequately
ar-ed military force should be establishod, to keep
the peace and enforce observance-f the 2isarmnal~ ent
agreement, and an international autW'rity sho. ulcl be
created, in associaticn with the United Natins, tcontrl
this f-, rce and to 3nsure that it is not used
for any purose inconsistunt with the charter.
4. On the basis -f the above princi: ples, it shulc be
pssiblc, given goo: dwill on both sides, to reconcile the prcsent
differences approach betweeOn the dl-ifforcnt . plans jut--forward.
Nc7otiati ns
The Drincipal ilitary p-Dwers should resume direct
neo tiati--) ns with-ut delay in cl-se-c-ontact with the Unitec!
Ncati-ns, which is respor nsible fcr disp7rmamint under the Chaarter.
Since -' eace is the concern of the whov-le wo: rld, o. t her natio'. ns
shuld. also be associated with the disnrmament ne-: tiati-ns
either directly -r through sme social macaincry to be set u-)
by the United Nati-. ns, : r by both means.
6. Silde by silde with the; po-litical nc--Dti lti-ns, ex,,' rts
sh-uld start w: rkinr uut the details -f thc insccti-n systems
requirod for th_ measures of aa: ilsiacrambaleen t each
stage, in acc-rdance with the pIractice adoptced at ithe Geneva
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Nucle-ar Tests Cenfcrence.
7. ~ Evcry off 7, rt shuld be mac-Ic to Secure rapid, agreement
tho Dormanent banning ngiclcar weap ns by all nati', ns and to
arran,, crants f or vorifying the , bsorvancc -if the agrcencnt. Such
an agrieeme'lnt is urgent, since -t[-irwisc further c-mintrics may
s'Don boc7mc nuclear which w-Duld increase the Clanger of
war and further cemplicate the pr--blon : f disarmament. Moreover,
an agreeme nt nuclear tests, apart from its direct advantages,
weDuld -) rovide a -owe rful sych-i-l-,.; ical im,. etus to agreement
a ver the wider fiel-1 ef dlisarmameint.
8. D is!, arr. irant with-ut ins,' mcti-' n would be as unaccep) table
as ins'-ct-m wit'hout eisamrr. amnt. Disarmament in1 ins--ection
arc intcgral p arts f tlhe sane questia-n an' niust be negotiated
to-, T~ ctaor, and both mst be niacl Is capeeand effective, as
is humanly ssiblo. It rust, hewever, be rec-gniscd that
no safegu-ards can p,-rovicde on hun-lroc ' oc. r cent. Pr-. octie: n
against error o r treachery. NevrtheLless the risks involved
in the -ar-. cess f disarrveeont r.: ust be balnnced ag iinst the risks
invilved-in thei cc-. ntinuanmco -f theo arms race.
9. It is arF~ uablo whether th. il-ar-s race is the cause
or the result 7, f distrust betwoen nations. But it is clear
that the pr7, bloris 3f d~ isarnameI~ nt a-nd intorntinmal c-nfidence
are cl7osely linked. Theireforeo, while striving7 f-r the ab-olitio7n
o. f arr2-: : e-nts, all na-ti-ns Klust actively en-leavur red-, uce
tensien by helpDing to rer;,-vc o-ther cause s -of friction and
suspic ion.
4 ANNE X I I
CYPRUS
Cormuniguo issued on 13th March, 1961
At their ieetin:-thiis nrvrning the C--. 1inonwcalth Primie
Ministers aocer3ted a request fronr the Rce.-ublic of Cy-orus for
admi ss ion-to C or.;: onwealth nE-cr'-bcrs hiio. They invited the President
of the Rep,, ubliLc to j-% in the 1^ 1eting.
SOUTH AIFRICA
Cormunigue issue1 mn 15th March, 1961
At the,-ir meetings this week the Co ~ mo-nwealth-Pri'm
Ministers have -liscusscr1 questions affecting So) uth Africa.
On 13th M--arch the Prire iliniste. r f S-o'uth Africa
informeod -t'htei n that, f-lliwing the , olobiscite in Octobeor,
1960, the ap pr-ou'riate constituti--nal steps were n-. w beinr-taken
to intro,-uce a Republican f~ r. -i f Co nsitutim in t.-1 Uni-n,
anJ that it was the . os ir-C -f the Union Government that So uth
Africa sh--u1l rermain within tL c. Conni-nw. 2lth as a Re1mblic.
In connecti~ n withi this a 1. ainthe rmeeting also -iscussod
with the co: nsent of the -Prii--o 1inister f S-uth A-frica, the
racial policy followewd by the Union Goveornrient.
Thc Pritoe Minister o. f So. uth Africa informe-d the other
Prir~ e Mviniste" rs this evuning-thant, in theo lighat of theo viows
exp---ressedL -n behalf of o) ther meomber G-ornments anl the
inilications of their future--intentirns reg--arding the racial
policy 7, f the Union G--vernricnt, 1he h-ad. 1ecif-ed to,-withdIraw his
app,, lica-tio., n fo. r So-uth Africa's continuing moenbrshi-: -f the
Commo-nwalth as a Re-, ublic. S 7E-. RE LEONME
unique issued! on 16th March., 1961
The Prirme Ministers n-. tcr2 th. at Sierraj Lom; e wo., ule,
attain indceendence o-n 27th A-ril, 1961. Theriy lookd frward
to welc-% mo. ing Sierra as a member o. f th-. Crmnwo] t on
the cxonp-leti-n -f the ncc ssary co-nstitutio-nal poess