HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETINGS ROM 1911 to 1937, Imperial Conferences of the Prime Ministers and other affairs, defence and economic policy. At the end of each conference full reports of the proceedings and conclusions were published. A brief account of the Imperial Conferences during these years was included in the 1955 Commonwealth Relations Office List. When meetings were resumed in 1944 the old Imperial Conferences gave place to the more informal exchanges of views on issues of first importance provided by the present Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings, and ad hoc conferences of other Ministers for the discussion of particular questions. Details of the proceedings of these meetings are not published, but it has generally been the practice for a communiqué to be issued at the close of each meeting summarising its results. Brief outlines of the communiqué issued from 1944 to 1962 may be found in the Commonwealth Relations Office Lists of 1961 to 1964. The communiqués issued after the Prime Minister's Meetings of 1964 and 1965 were published in the Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book, 1966. There were two Heads of Government Meetings in 1966. The earlier of these, at Lagos, was the first meeting to be held in a Commonwealth capital other than London and the first devoted to a single subject (Rhodesia). The communiqués of both the 1966 meetings were published in the Commonwealth Office Year Book, 1967. There were no Meetings during 1967 or 1968. In January 1969 there was a Meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in London. The communiqué was published in A Year Book of the Commonwealth, 1970. In January 1971 Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Singapore. This was the first ordinary Meeting to be held outside London. The Meeting issued a communiqué the text of which was published in the 1972 edition and also the Commonwealth Declaration, which was published in the 1972-73 editions. Commonwealth Heads of Government met next in Ottawa in August 1973. The resulting communiqué is printed below: COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING 1973 COMMUNIQUÉ 1. Commonwealth Heads of Government met in Ottawa from 2-10 August. All Commonwealth countries were represented, five by their Presidents or their Heads of State, eighteen by their Prime Ministers, three by their Vice-Presidents and six by senior Ministers. The Prime Minister of Canada was in the Chair. 2. Heads of Government warmly welcomed the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and The Commonwealth of the Bahamas whose countries have become members of the Commonwealth since the last meeting in 1971. They expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister of Canada for the hospitality provided by his Government. 3. On August 3rd the Meeting was informed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia of the sudden death of the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Ismail bin Dato Abdul Rahman, suspended its proceedings in tribute, and conveyed sincere condolences to the Government and people of Malaysia and to the bereaved family. 4. The Meeting was positive in tone and constructive in its approach. Having agreed to new procedures designed to ensure informality and free discussion, the leaders put aside set-piece speeches and addressed themselves directly both to each other and to the pressing questions before the Meeting. When unanimous agreement was not possible, mutual understanding of conflicting viewpoints was achieved. It was agreed that in this regard the Meeting established a most useful precedent for future Commonwealth consultations. The Commonwealth had been greatly strengthened by the event and Heads of Government were heartened by this. 5. Heads of Government were convinced that the association had once again demonstrated its vitality and flexibility. They intend to make maximum use of the Commonwealth machinery to put the principles of the Commonwealth Declaration into practice and to accelerate the pace of social and economic development among the less affluent members. Statement on Nuclear Weapon Tests 6. Heads of Government issued a statement, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water. The statement is annexed. World and Commonwealth Trends 7. In a frank and informal review of world trends Heads of Government examined changing power relationships and their political and economic consequences with particular reference to Commonwealth countries. Views were exchanged on: changing relationships among the United States, the Soviet Union and China; problems of security in various regions; the emergence of new centres of economic power; the continued atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, and the need for a comprehensive test ban treaty and for general and complete disarmament under effective international control; the situation in the Middle East and South East Asia; the establishment of a peace zone in the Indian Ocean; and the situation in Southern Africa with particular reference to Rhodesia. 8. While welcoming the general relaxation in international tension, they nevertheless noted those areas of tension which continue to threaten international peace and security as well as the widening gap between the rich and poor nations and recognised the need for the spirit of detente in all international relations. Acknowledging the potential for progressive change arising from shifting power relations Heads of Government recognised that economic and monetary instability continue to pose urgent problems for the world's community. As the search for solutions to these political and economic problems was pursued in the context of the changing power relationships new opportunities arose for states other than the major powers to influence world developments, to contribute to the achievement of peace and security, to ensure the avoidance of spheres of influence and to secure a regime of social justice, economic progress and racial harmony throughout an increasingly interdependent world. 9. Consultation and co-operation in the Commonwealth, an informal worldwide association, which included no Super Power, could make a special contribution to greater international understanding as well as to the search for solutions to economic problems. Heads of Government, therefore, stressed the value of strengthening practical co-operation between member countries, both internationally and on a regional basis, and working within other international organisations and groupings in order to give the medium and small countries a more effective voice in international relations to raise living standards and to improve the quality of life for all their peoples. 10. Heads of Government noted the progress made with regard to the proposal for a peace zone in the Indian Ocean since the last Conference in Singapore, where they agreed on the desirability of ensuring that it remains an area of peace and stability. They noted that the proposal was under study by an Ad Hoc Committee which had been established by the United Nations and they expressed the hope that its deliberations would receive the support and co-operation of all states concerned. 11. The Heads of Government were greatly concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Middle East which now presents a most serious threat to world peace. This deterioration was directly attributable to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967. They considered that ways and means should now be urgently sought by all states to give substance to the Security Council Resolution. 12. Heads of Government also noted that since the last Conference in Singapore, the Foreign Ministers of the countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have adopted a Declaration to make South East Asia a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality. They regarded this initiative as a positive contribution towards peace and stability in that region. Trade 13. Heads of Government had a wide-ranging and substantive discussion on economic issues against the background of widespread inflation. Particular attention was devoted to problems of international trade. Heads of Government considered the prospects for the implementation of the Generalised System of Preferences by all the developed countries, and for improvements where schemes had already been introduced or were due to be harmonised. They hoped that the forthcoming Multilateral Trade Negotiations under the auspices of GATT would secure world-wide expansion of trade and take particular account of the needs of developing countries. 14. Heads of Government exchanged views on the prospects for the forthcoming negotiations between the enlarged European Economic Community and the developing countries of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and expressed the hope that they would lead to the conclusion of just, enlightened, and effective arrangements. The developing Commonwealth countries reiterated their previously expressed views that the notion of reciprocity could not be a basis for equitable and enduring relations between them and the EEC. In the case of the countries to which the Joint Declaration of Intent in the Treaty of Enlargement applies, it was urged that the Community should take a positive attitude to approaches that have already been made or might be made, and work out suitable arrangements taking their trade interests into account before the Common External Tariff is applied to British imports from them in accordance with that Treaty. 15. It was recognised that the system of Commonwealth Preferences has provided and continues to provide important advantages for Commonwealth countries, and the hope was expressed that the existing favourable arrangements for developing Commonwealth countries in markets of developed Commonwealth countries other than Britain should wherever possible be maintained. 16. Heads of Government considered the special problems of countries highly dependent on exports of agricultural products in primary, semi-processed, and processed forms, and noted the desirability of achieving substantial liberalization of trade in these products in the course of the forthcoming GATT multilateral negotiations. They underlined the urgent need for deliberate measures to be taken by the international community to secure equitable and remunerative returns for such products. To this end, they considered it essential that new international commodity arrangements be devised which would deal with this serious problem and protect the foreign exchange earnings of developing countries against excessive price fluctuations and inroads from synthetics, thereby increasing their capacity to buy needed imports. There was need also to increase the export earnings of developing countries from primary products, especially agricultural products, as prices of industrial goods continue to rise; and to study methods to introduce a realistic relationship between the prices of the two categories of goods. Commonwealth countries should play an active role in the search for new international commodity arrangements. It was felt that it was equally necessary to explore measures to minimise fluctuations in the prices of mineral products. Monetary issues 17. Heads of Government reviewed the work of the Committee of Twenty and recognized the urgent need to work towards the achievement as quickly as possible of a new and stable international monetary order, which would take into account the special concerns of developing countries, particularly as regards the creation of a Link between Special Drawing Rights and Development Finance. Development Assistance 18. The Meeting examined various aspects of development assistance, including the disadvantages of tied aid, the need for a more flexible approach by aid donors and the importance of achieving mutually satisfactory relationships between the donors and recipients of aid, as well as measures for reducing the onerous debt burdens of developing countries. Private Foreign Investment 19. Heads of Government had a lively discussion of the problems and opportunities involved in private foreign investment. Special reference was made to the role of multi-national corporations in a number of Commonwealth countries. Views were exchanged on possible techniques for ensuring that the operations of |