I wish, on behalf of the Government, and in the absence of the
Prime Minister [1], to thank you for your message of 3rd January,
conveying an invitation by your Government to attend a conference
in New Delhi to discuss the problem of Indonesia.

The Australian Government would, on principle, accept this
invitation: it is always our desire to discuss the problems of
this area with India and other neighbouring countries. If your
Government finally decides to hold the conference after hearing
from other governments invited, and states a definite date, the
Australian Government would endeavour to be represented. The
status of the representative would depend on the date of the
conference and other such relevant factors.

In the meantime, we offer the following comments which might be
taken into account in making a final decision about holding the
conference and its date of assembling.

The Security Council meets at the end of this week, and presumably
will meet several times before a conference can be arranged. It is
not possible to anticipate its actions or decisions, if any, in
respect of Indonesia. The proposal put forward by your Government
may, in itself, press upon members of the Council the unanimous
feeling in this region of disappointment at the Council's
inability so far in taking effective action, and it may be that,
when it reassembles, the Council will take more useful and just
decisions. In this case, presumably, your Government will
reconsider the need of calling a regional conference.

If a conference were called, some positive objectives should be
sought. It would seem that many of the countries of this area,
including your own, have already taken whatever action is open to
them regarding air and sea movements of Dutch transport. For our
part, as you know, we have refused all requests to export
munitions of war. There is probably little effective action which
the countries of this region acting alone can take. Action by the
United States and other countries is required.

This underlines the need for obtaining the just and necessary
decisions in the Security Council, of which the United States of
America and the United Kingdom are permanent members. Moreover,
apart from this consideration of expediency, the Australian
Government could take no action which by-passed the United
Nations, or was not in accord with its purposes and principles.

I believe this is the position of India too, and therefore we
assume that, before the calling of a conference, your Government
will have considered what positive steps might be taken by a
conference or by the governments represented at it which would be
in accordance with our obligations to the United Nations.

There is one other aspect we should like to mention. Regional
action is in accord with Chapter eight of the Charter. However, it
would seem that the countries invited to the proposed conference
include some which could not be regarded as being in the Asian
region, and exclude others which are usually so included. The
group of countries represented at E.C.A.F.E. [2] -or these
countries except the permanent members of the Security Council-
might be more appropriate for regional advice to the Security
Council. Otherwise considerations not relevant to the regional
problem, and the problem of Indonesia itself, are likely to
prevent effective work and action.

In short, the Australian Government would be pleased to send a
representative to whatever conference the Indian Government might
consider should be called. The status of that representative will
have to be determined, having in mind the situation as it then
appears. We assume that, in the meantime, the Indian Government
will watch developments in order to decide whether a conference is
necessary and what form it should take. If possible we should like
to be kept informed of the views of the Indian Government so that
we can co-operate in every way possible in securing a speedy, just
and stable solution to the problem of Indonesia.