(17365) Dd.145178 400m 5/73 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.863
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
:
CONFIDENTIAL
FAR EAST DEFENCE COMMITMENTS
1. The Defence Secretary [has said] in Parliament that, in
the course of the Defence Review, "there will be full consultation
with our allies in all cases where their interests are involved".
This applies particularly to the commitments the previous British Government made to our four Commonwealth partners in the Five Power Defence Arrangements in April 1971, and the similar commitment of
November 1971 to Brunei.
Five Power Defence Arrangements
2.
Under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore agreed in April 1971
that:
Brunei
1
"In the event of any form of armed attack externally organised or supported or the threat of such attack against Malaysia or Singapore their governments would immediately consult
together for the purpose of deciding what measures should be
taken jointly or separately in relation to such attack or
threat."
13. The commitment to Brunei embodied in the Agreement of 1971 amending the 1959 Agreement with Brunei, is for practical purposes
the same as that under the FPDA.
Colonial Territories
14.
There are also unavoidable obligations to provide for the good order and defence of Hong Kong and other British dependencies in the Far East which any British Government must fulfil. For the purposes of this paper it is assumed that these responsibilities to Colonial dependencies will continue and that appropriate British forces will be kept (at least partly) in the area, to fulfil them. Staging facilities at Gan and Singapore are necessary in order
to maintain forces in Hong Kong.
CONFIDENTIAL
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