CENTURY AND THEY HAVE CLEARLY LED TO A DEMOCRATIC RESULT, BUT SO FAR AS NATO AND PORTUGAL ARE CONCERNED A LOT DEPENDS ON TEVELOPMENTS IN PORTUGAL. PERHAPS JIM, YOU'D LIKE TO ADD TO THAT?
(CALLAGHAN)
Q
A
I DON'T THINK I WOULD.
WILL YOU BE DISCUSSING WITH DR KISSINGER TONIGHT THE FUTURE OF SINGAPORE AT ALL ? I'M THINKING OF THE WITHDRAWAL NEXT YEAR
OF THE ROYAL NAVY FROM THE BASE.
I SHOULD THINK IT'S UNLIKELY UNLESS HE WANTS TO RAISE IT. HE IS, IN FACT OF COURSE, MEETING THE - THE PRESIDENT IS MEETING
THE PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE TOMORROW. WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS
OF COURSE WITH LEE KUAN YEW BUT HE HAS NOT RAISED ANY PROBLEMS ABOUT
IT IN THE COURSE OF THE KINGSTON CONFERENCE.
(CALLAGAN)
AND OF COURSE IF I MAY JUST ADD, THIS WAS DISCUSSED DURING OUR OWN DEFENCE REVIEW WITH THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY
FOR DEFENCE.
Q HAVE THE EVENTS IN VIET NAM GIVEN RISE TO THE POSSIBILITY
THAT BRITAIN'S POLICY TOWARDS SINGAPORE MIGHT NOW CHANGE ?
A NO. WE PUBLISHED OUR WHITE PAPER ON DEFENCE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
LAST DECEMBER, AND WE SAID THAT HAVING PUBLISHED IT WE WERE IN COURSE OF DISCUSSION WITH OUR ALLIES BOTH IN NATO AND MORE WIDELY AND WITH THE COMMONWEALTH. MINISTERS AND OTHER VENT TO DISCUSS THIS IN DETAIL WITH OUR ALLIES AND WE SAID THAT WE
WOULD BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER CHANGES IN THE LIGHT OF ANYTHING THEY SAID. BASICALLY, THE CHANGES WHICH HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED SINCE ARE VERY VERY SMALL INDEED AND WILL NOT AFFECT SINGAPORE.
Q DID YOU SAY ANYTHING TO THE PRESIDENT TODAY IN CONSOLATION FOR THE CHAGR IN THAT HE AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAVE BEEN
EXPRESSING OVER THE DOUBT THAT MIGHT BE GIVEN TO AMERICA'S 1ORD AROUND THE WORLD AS A RESULT OF CONGRESSIONAL FAILURE TO
SUPPORT VIET NAM AID ?
As
NO, WHAT I DID WAS TO REPEAT TO HIM WHAT I'VE SAID PUBLICLY HERE AND IN KINGSTON, THAT WE HAVE THE FULLEST CONFIDENCE, AS FULL AS HIS OWN CONFIDENCE, AND THAT IS TOTAL, ABOUT HIS HONOURING
COMMITMENTS TO ALLIES AND WE ARE PRINCIPALLY CONCERNED HERE, OF
COURSE, IN RESPECT OF NATO..
10
/ Q. WHY IS THE