61/ 008
MEETING OF COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS
The attached is the official text of the Communique
issued at the conclusion of the Meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers
in London on March 17th, 1961.
It replaces
immediately following
Alterations
paragraphs 3( f) and 7 the text issued in Canberra on March 18th, 1961..
the receipt of cables from London.
have been made on page 2 of the Communique and in
of ANNEX 1, and these have been underlined.
From the Government Public Relations Office,
Canberra.
April 6th, 1961
MEETING OF COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS
FINAL COMMUNIQUE MARCH 17th, 1961
The Meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers was concluded to-day.
Pakistan, Ghana and Cyprus were represented by their Presidents. The other
Commonwealth countries were represented by their Prime Ministers.
It had been agreed that on this occasion the Prime Ministers would
concentrate their main attention on a limited number of specific problems which
are currently of common concern to them all namely, disarmament, the structure
of the United Nations and certain constitutional problems affecting the
Commonwealth itself. At the outset of the Meeting, however, the Prime Ministers
held a general review of the international situation as a whole, in order to set
these particular problems in the perspective of current world events. They also
considered, in the course of their Meeting, recent developments in the Congo
and in South East Asia.
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 independence and integrity of the Republic. They deplored outside
intervention in the Congo and recognised that many of the problems which had
arisen were due to such intervention. They considered that the United Nations
forces in the Congo should be strengthened and that the Security Council
resolution of 21st February should be fully implemented.
The Prime Ministers noted with concern the situation which had
developed in Laos. They expressed the hope that the parties would be able to
reconcile their differences, that intervention from outside would cease, and that
Laos would be enabled to enjoy an indepeRdent, neutral and peaceful existence.
The Prime Ministers held a full discussion on the problem of
disarmament. They recognised that this was the most important question facing
the world to-day and considered that a favourable opportunity was now at hand
for a fresh initiative towards a settlement of it. They agreed that the aim
should be to achieve general and complete disarmament, subject to effective
inspection and control, on the general lines indicated in the statement in
Annex 1 of this communique. They recalled the resolution on general and
complete disarmament which was adopted unanimously at the 14th session of the
General Assembly. They agreed that every effort should be made to implement
this resolution by agreement between the major powers, and that further
negotiations for this purpose were necessary. Certain proposals designed to
promote such negotiations have been put by various countries before the United
Nations.
The Prime Ministers expressed their hope that the negotiations on the
cessation of nuclear weapons tests, which were due to re-open at Geneva on 21st
March, would lead to the early conclusion of an agreement on this subject.
Such an agreement, apart from its importance in itself, would provide a powerful
impetus towards agreement on disarmament generally.
The Prime Ministers considered the various proposals which have
recently been put forward for changes in the structure of the United Nations
including, in particular, the structure of its Councils, the position of the
Secretary-General and the organisation of the Secretariat. They recognised
that such changes could only be made with general consent. They agreed that,
whatever adjustments might be made, it remained vitally important to uphold
the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and to preserve the
international and independent character of the Secretariat. They further agreed
that members of the Commonwealth shared with all nations a fundamental common
interest in maintaining the integrity of the United Nations as a force for
orderly political, economic and social progress throughout the world.
The Prime Ministers also discussed certain constitutional
questions relating to Commonwealth membership. The conclusions reached were
announced in communiques issued on 13th, 15th, and 16th March relating,
respectively, to Cyprus, South Africa, and Sierra Leone. The text of these
communiques is reproduced in Annex 11.
ANNEX 1
STATEMENT ON DISARMAMENT
Aim
S 1. The aim must be to achieve total world-wide disarmament, subject
to effective inspection and control.
2. In view of the slaughter and destruction experienced in so-called
" conventional" wars and of the difficulty of preventing a conventional war,
S once started, from developing into a nuclear war, our aim must be nothing
less than the complete abolition of the means of waging war of any kind.
Principles 3. An agreement for this purpose should be negotiated as soon as
possible, on the basis of the following principles
All national armed forces and armaments must be reduced to the
levels agreed to be necessary for internal security.
Once started, the process of disarmament should be continued without
interruption until it is completed, subject to verification at
each stage that all parties are duly carrying out their undertaking.
The elimination of nuclear and conventional armaments must be so
phased that at no stage will any country or group of countries
obtain a significant military advantage.
In respect of each phase there should be established, by agreement,
effective machinery of inspection, which should come into operation
simultaneously with the phase of disarmament to which it relates.
Disarmament should be carried out as rapidly as possible in
progressive stages, within specified periods of time.
At the appropriate stage, a substantial and adequately armed
military force should be established, to prevent aggression and
enforce observance of the disarmament agreement; and an international
authority should be created, in association with the United Nations,
to control this force and to ensure that it is not used for any
purpose inconsistent with the Charter.
2.
4. On the basis of the above principles, it should be possible, given
goodwill on both sides, to reconcile the present differences of approach
between the different plans put forward.
Negotiations The principal military powers should resume direct negotiations
without delay in close contact with the United Nations, which is responsible
for disarmament under the Charter. Since peace is the concern of the whole
world, other nations should also be associated with the disarmament negotiations,
either directly or through some special machinery to be set up by the United
Nations, or by both means.
6. Side by side with the political negotiations, experts should
start working out the details of the inspection systems required for the
measures of disarmament applicable to each stage, in accordance with the
practice adopted at the Geneva Nuclear Tests Conference.
7. Every effort should be made to secure rapid agreement to the
permanent banning of nuclear weapons tests by all nations and to arrangements
for verifying the observance of the agreement. Such an agreement is urgent,
since otherwise further countries may soon become nuclear powers, which would
increase the danger of war and further complicate the problem of disarmament.
Moreover, an agreement on nuclear tests, apart from its direct advantages, would
provide a powerful psychological impetus to agreement over the wider field of
disarmament. 8. Disarmament without inspection would be as unacceptable as
inspection without disarmament. Disarmament and inspection are integral parts of
the same question and must be negotiated together; and both must be made as
complete and effective as is humanly possible. It must, however, be recognised
that no safeguards can provide one hundred per cent protection against error Or
treachery. Nevertheless, the risks involved in the process of disarmament
must be balanced against the risks involved in the continuance of the arms race.
9. It is arguable whether the arms race is the cause or the result of
distrust between nations. But it is clear that the problems of disarmament and
international confidence are closely linked. Therefore, while striving for the
abolition of armaments, all nations must actively endeavour to reduce tension by
helping to remove other causes of friction and suspicion.
ANNEX 11
CYPRUS Communique issued on 13th March, 1961
At their meeting this morning the Commonwealth Prime Ministers
accepted a request from the Republic of Cyprus for admission to Commonwealth
membership. They invited the President of the Republic to join the Meeting.
SOUTH AFRICA
Communique issued on 15th March, 1961
At their meetings this week the Commonwealth Prime Ministers
have discussed questions affecting South Africa.
On 13th March the Prime Minister of South Africa informed the
Meeting that, following the plebiscite in October, 1960, the appropriate
constitutional steps were now being taken to introduce a republican form of
constitution in the Union, and that it was the desire of the Unibn Government
that South Africa should remain within the Commonwealth as a republic.
In connection with this application the meetingialso discussed,
with the consent of the Prime Minister of South Africa, the racial policy
followed by the Union Government. The Prime Minister of South Africa informed
the other Prime Ministers this evening that in the light of the views expressed
on behalf of other member Governments and the indications of their future
intentions regarding the racial policy of the Union Government, he had decided
to withdraw his application for South Africa's continuing membership of the
Commonwealth as a republic.
SIERRA LEONE
Communique issued on 16th March, 1961
The Prime Ministers noted that Sierra Leone would attain
independence on 27th April, 1961.
They looked forward to welcoming Sierra Leone as a member of
the Commonwealth on the completion of the necessary constitutional processes.