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CONFRONTATION
Peace talks delayed
DJAKARTA, Thursday (AAP-Reuter). ■— Peace talks between Malaysia
and Indonesia will now start in Bangkok early, next week.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister,
Mr Malik, told reporters this morning
that he was postponing his planned
departure for the Thai capital from
tomorrow until Saturday afternoon or
Sunday morning.
The delay was for courtesy reasons,
as he had now learnt his host, the Thai
Foreign Minister, Mr Thanat Khoman,
was not due back from his current
Malaysian visit until Saturday or later.
Asked later if he thought the talks
would succeed, Mr Malik said, "If both
sides show sincerity and goodwill I
think they may."
Little summit
Since the discussions were to be
direct without any third party there
was likely to be some straight talking,
he said. "But goodwill should lead to
success."
Later Mr Malik met with Lieutenant
General Suharto, Chief of the General
Staff and executive power holder ia
the State, and with other Ministers.
Sources close to the Indonesian ad
ministration said the Government was
anxious to end hostilities with Malay
sia as soon as possible.
It favoured the kind of settlement
outlined at the Tokyo little summit be
tween Indonesia, Malaysia and the
Philippines in 1964.
This involved a commission of four
Afro-Asian nations.
Each country would choose a nation
it wanted on the commission and the
three selected would pick a fourth,
The commission would then carry
out an "assessment."
Mr Malik has said Indonesia does
not require a referendum in the Malay
sian Borneo States, only an independ
ent assurance that the Federation is
desired by the people there.
Diplomatic observers here believe
that the result of the planned Bangkok
talks is less likely to be an abuupt
end to "confrontation" than a prologue
to a slow,easing off of tensions.
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