The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will take place in Edinburgh from 24 to 27 October.
I look forward to attending the meeting which will have as its theme 'Trade, investment and development: the road to Commonwealth prosperity.' The theme raises issues that are very important to the future prosperity of all Commonwealth members.
The Commonwealth is a unique body that brings together countries which are very diverse but which also enjoy much shared history, many common institutions and a common language. The variety of experience that is contained in the Commonwealth should make the discussion a useful one. I hope that it will contribute to maintaining the momentum of global trade and investment liberalisation.
The meeting will allow me also to have bilateral talks with a number of Commonwealth leaders.
Immediately before the meeting I shall join a group of Commonwealth leaders who have been invited to address the Commonwealth Business Forum that is being sponsored by the UK government in conjunction with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Financial Times Conferences.
I shall visit Indonesia on 29 October on the way back from CHOGM. I look forward to the opportunity to continue the very good discussions that President Soeharto and I began during my first overseas visit in September last year.
17 September 1997