TRANSCRIPT: MR PATRICK GORDON WALKER: "WELL, MY FIRST ACT ON TAKING OFFICE WAS TO RING UP MR DEAN RUSK, THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES, AND I WAS VERY GLAD THAT HE INVITED ME OVER, EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR ELECTION CAMPAIGN, AND I WILL BE GOING IN A FEW DAYS THERE, AND I'M EXTREMELY GLAD THAT THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OFFICIAL ACT THAT I DO OVERSEAS. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT OUR UNITED STATES ALLIANCE, OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE UNITED STATES, OUR LOYALTY TO THE WESTERN ALLIANCE, ARE THE SHEET ANCHOR OF OUR POLICY AND WILL REMAIN SO. WE ARE OF COURSE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS NOT THE GOVERNMENT OF SUEZ AND WE HAVE, THEREFORE, ONE GREAT ADVANTAGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST - THAT WE AREN'T CARRYING THE BURDEN THAT THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT DID OF THE SUEZ FIASCO. AND I HOPE VERY MUCH THAT WE SHALL BE ABLE TO WORK TOWARDS BETTER RELATIONS WITH ARAB NATIONALISM, WITH NASSER, REMEMBERING OF COURSE OUR CLOSE FRIENDSHIP, OUR CLOSE INTEREST IN ISRAEL REMAINS UNCHANGED. THE UNITED NATIONS WE WILL GIVE A NEW AND FRESH SUPPORT TO. I THINK THE APPOINTMENT OF SIR HUGH FOOT AS A MINISTER IN MY OFFICE, HE WILL REPRESENT US AS OUR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE AT THE UNITED NATIONS, IS AN EXAMPLE OF OUR NEW ATTITUDE, BOTH THE APPOINTMENT ITSELF AND THE PARTICULAR MAN WHO HAS FILLED THIS APPOINTMENT. MALAYSIA WE WILL SUPPORT COMPLETELY. WE FEEL THAT THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD MUST BE LEFT TO THE PEOPLE IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD. WE SHALL ALWAYS BE READY TO FIND A SETTLEMENT THERE BUT ANY SETTLEMENT WE FIND MUST BE ON THE BASIS OF MALAYSIA'S INTEGRITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENCE, AND AS LONG AS THAT IS ATTACKED WE SHALL HELP THEM TO DEFEND IT".




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Background: BRITAIN'S NEW LABOUR FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS MADE A STATEMENT ON THE FOREIGN POLICY THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO FOLLOW. MR PATRICK GORDON WALKER SPOKE TO JOURNALISTS IN LONDON'S FOREIGN OFFICE TONIGHT (THURSDAY) ABOUT BRITAIN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THE WESTERN ALLIANCE.

(IT WAS REPORTED IN LONDON TONIGHT THAT THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART IN ANY FUTURE TALKS AIMED AT WEST EUROPEAN POLITICAL UNION FROM THE OUTSET BUT WITHOUT PRIOR COMMITMENT. THERE HAD BEEN WIDE SPECULATION THAT THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT MIGHT SHOW ITS DISINTEREST IN NEW MOVES FOR POLITICAL UNION NEW BEING URGED BY SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMON MARKET.)