190 EHJT'T SH QNLY NATO COST:RGRR: 18th March. 1956 WORKIlKr TA ? 55 AW > • J-- ^ -X.. COMMITTEE OF POLITICAL ADVISSHS AFRO-ASIAN SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE AND CCUPCIL Note by the Canadian Delegation In the report which the Political Advioero' Ce=Tti tt*e is to prepare for the Council, we would like to see r-^f 1 ï i recognition of the difficulty which faces VA-stcrn gcverrr.-.-r. * •'. ' r taking a strong public stand «gainst the Afro-Asian dcliiar w Conference and its continuing Council in Cairo. Th* IiiT' -,,- *T - « / . * • it seems to us, is that any direct stter.pt by KATC governr-r.* j tc condemn the Conference and the Council must take ir.to M tat fact that the stated objectives of the Conference eolr.e i lc largely with those of Asian and African governments. As these giv rr. - ments have already been made fully aware through private z'r.annul a of the degree of Communist domination of the Cniro Conférer et- ir,i Council, we see advantages in leaving it principally tc counteract the Council's propaganda activities in the area. 4 2. Our soundings in a number of Asian ar.i Africa r. eraa • in recent weeks have led UD to the conclusion that r.ost oi t governments in the area are aware that the activities o f t r. Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference and Council pose no 1- :..: '> tr.rtat to them than to the West; and in mnny cases the view a •t.. : tr. expressed to us by officials of governments in th.-, urea that * > . S a* task in offsetting such propaganda has not been render-.: : -.:ie ;r bv Western statements denouncing the CMro Conference. A a r : Î f : in the area has remarked to us, these direct Western at t--. : it increasingly difficult for nationalists who are both at re anti-colonial and anti-communist to maintain any 11 at.in : ...r between the two. ; . « 3. For these reasons4 we v/ould .suggest that the cor. i + a . * V . ,-- * . Ct t i of the Committee s report should not dvsvll solely en ., » DECLASSIFIED - PUBLIC DISCLOSURE / DÉCLASSIFIÉ - MISE EN LECTURE PUBLIQUE LECTURE EN - MISE / DÉCLASSIFIÉ DISCLOSURE - PUBLIC DECLASSIFIED C * ~ of the Solidarity Council by the Soviet Bloc1 nor th* c: . % .*'. - gers, especially in relation to the Airicon contiront, - •i J*. from Soviet-Bloc governmental representation in the Coll „ - • V Council. Rather, we should give full weight to what tively know of the reactions of African and Asian govern Our own tentative conclusion is that the governments *hi ized and participated in the Bandung Conference are aliv » - dangers of a non-governmental group they do not control exert considerable efforts to frustrate the activities o NATO CONFIDENTIAL --0/1 1 56)2/3 Solidarity Council going 'beyond the limits of the conclusiono oi the Bandung Conference in I '>57. U. It may be that the Afro-Asian' PjOVerrjrvnts Ii t -/a. opportunity which will be afford-d by the Accr-'? Conférer;?:.- cf Independent States next month to offset the ill aifeCts * i point of vi eu, of the Cairo Conference. Th nu*sequent •?' r .. ference in Accra of African polit; c.al Laiera u: ii prcvldv further opportunity for regaining th- ini tiativ« , thoagh v recognize that both these Accru cor.i'< renoes v,ill Him to ; r, African nationalism independent of j out r Mcc.:. Our -V4 c r is that these conferences' will noIp to leas-n the impact ,: Cairo Conference in Africa, at loant south ol the 3nr.nm. 5. Among the other question.:- which our report ^nc sidor is the extent to which we regard th- Al ro-Asiar. hc Council as posing a continuing propaganda threat in t:;« 6. In more general terms, ne think that In the lc of the most significant aspects may be- the ta?t that tr«: successfully asserted its right of v.ictr.l er.-hi ? in the iAs * im- . grouping. Perhaps related to this and again in contra at to »«r : there appeared to be a shift in emphasis away from Awi- t -rr Africa and the Midenot. Apart f'ron Inaonaa I.-., who«? i L - : • acclaimed and endorsed at the Cairo Conference . n htnx- been reached in which Af rica -nd the MMea^t •s S i***!- f.. ful areas for both Communist manoeuvre an î -..oj-ul-u- i . f * - / activity than Asia. Having cot.aM Lrhtsi Cosrrur.i nt " in Asia at Bandung, the Chinese ivugatie-n ic-.: net been as active at Cairo. 7. The fact that Colonel Nnsc< r *'u- billing to •St'ï^: Afro-Asian Solidarity Conference in.ltrate.-. th-; Kgy^tï exploit this grouping for their own enis. The Kgyrt trying to expand their influence in « ? ri c-a north cf î through their endorsatlon cf "Afro-Asian ' ra * 4. $ * * policies. On the other h ar.thii tth-ih • Vyv li.-a; Iitti ' ' X * 4 ' th.e ext.-. r-.t. 'V * : |*f)*'i ^ 1 in the Conferencl-, The : or. - 1 •< ! Cairo uc-on which the USSR T- -5 fpr«-,'* ,.- *, - t >• . '« V * for hovi j et I.'i ,. PiZif,•» 1 * », ,.,V -.. .. ... .. - the Se S a O':; Ve . t S :.-.:« v wr-ti ah rath 4 . t . W * *- DECLASSIFIED - PUBLIC DISCLOSURE / DÉCLASSIFIÉ - MISE EN LECTURE PUBLIQUE LECTURE EN - MISE / DÉCLASSIFIÉ DISCLOSURE - PUBLIC DECLASSIFIED r-J-iia i • XV .