1.
GV FLAG OUTSIDE BUILDING
0.06

2.
GV EXT..CONFERENCE BUILDING
0.10

3.
SV DELEGATES ARRIVE AND ENTER BUILDING (2 SHOTS)
0.19

4.
GV ARNOLD SMITH, COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY GENERAL, SPEAKING
0.27

5.
GV DELEGATE LISTEN
0.29

6.
GV ARNOLD SMITH CONTINUES
0.34

7.
SV DELEGATES LISTEN AND APPLAUD (3 SHOTS)
0.48

8.
CV MR RAJARATNAM SPEAKING
0.54

9.
SV DELEGATES LISTEN (3 SHOTS)
1.04

10.
GTV DELEGATES SEATED
1.12

11.
GTV DELEGATES AT RECEPTION
1.22

12.
SV MR MLAMBA(RIGHT) MR MAURICE JONES(LEFT) SIERRA LEONE, SPEAKING
1.25

13.
CV NIGERIAN DELEGATE MR UKEGBU SEATED AT CONFERENCE TABLE
1.30

14.
SV ZAMBIA DELEGATE MR MBOZI SEATED AT CONFERENCE TABLE
1.36

15.
SV KENYA DELEGATE MR MLANBA SEATED
1.42

16.
GV CONFERENCE
1.52



Initials LN/VS/AS/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: DELEGATES FROM 20 COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES MET IN SINGAPORE YESTERDAY (MARCH 9) FOR A SEMINAR ON "THE CHANGING PATTERNS IN THE ORGANISATION AND CONDUCT OF FOREIGN POLICY".

THE SEMINAR IS BEING HELD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN THE SINGAPORE CONFERENCE HALL AND WILL LAST UNTIL MARCH 14. MR ARNOLD SMITH, THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY-GENERAL, OPENED THE CONFERENCE BY POINTING OUT THAT ONE OF THE COMMONWEALTH'S MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS IS THAT IT IS NOT REGIONAL IN CHARACTER BUT TRULY INTERNATIONAL. IT WAS AN INDICATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PARTICULAR SEMINAR, HE CONTINUED, THAT TWELVE PERMANENT SECRETARIES FROM MINISTRIES OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND A LARGE NUMBER OF SENIOR DIPLOMATS HAD SEEN FIT TO ATTEND.

SINGAPORE'S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MR SINAMTHABY RAJARATNAM DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF THE BREAKING-UP OF THE COMMONWEALTH, AN ISSUE WHICH, HE SAID, LAY AT THE BACK OF EVERYONE'S MIND ALTHOUGH NOT FORMALLY ON THE AGENDA. HE SAID IT WOULD BE TRAGIC FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TO BE DISBANDED AT A TIME WHEN THE PENDULUM OF HISTORY SWINGS TOWARDS LARGER ASSOCIATIONS OF STATES. THE COMMONWEALTH WAS THE PRODUCT OF HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES, MOST OF WHICH COULD NEVER BE REPEATED AND MR RAJARATNAM EMPHASIZED THAT THE FUTURE OF THE COMMONWEALTH DEPENDED HEAVILY ON THE STRENGTH OF BRITISH ATTACHMENT TO IT. BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE WOULD TURN ON WHETHER THE COMMONWEALTH WAS VALUED AS AN ASSET OR A BURDEN, AND WOULD BE INFLUENCED BY THE MEMBERS' ABILITY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE ASSOCIATION COULD BE A SOURCE OF STRENGTH RATHER THAN WEAKNESS.

A REPORT OF THE SEMINAR WILL GO TO ALL COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENTS INCLUDING THE EIGHT NOT PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE.