HC Deb 22 January 1969 vol 776 c123W
Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for a further conference of Commonwealth Governments concerned, on the future defence of British, Commonwealth and Allied territories and interests in South-East Asia.

Mr. Healey

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement issued on Friday, 17th January, by the Australian Delegation to the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference. The following is the textThe Prime Ministers of Malaysia (Tunku Abdul Rahman), Singapore (Mr. Lee Kuan Yew), New Zealand (Mr. Keith Holyoake) and Australia (Mr. John Gorton) and the British Defence Minister (Mr. Denis Healey) held an informal meeting in London this morning. The Australian Minister for External Affairs (Mr. Paul Hasluck) also attended. The Prime Ministers had decided to take this opportunity of their presence together in London to discuss the time and place for a Five Power Conference later in the year. Following the meeting, which was held in the Australian Prime Minister's suite at the Savoy Hotel, Mr. Gorton announced that it had been decided to hold the second Five Power Conference in Canberra on the 12th May. The first such conference took place in Kuala Lumpur last June. Mr. Gorton said that today's meeting was primarily concerned with the arrangements for the new conference. There was no substantive discussion of questions arising from Britain's withdrawal from South East Asia.