GOVERNMENT'S STAND ON VIETNAM (Request for statement)

Mr S. Rajoo asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's stand on Vietnam.

Mr E. W. Barker (Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Government bases its foreign policy on the principle that every nation should have the right to select its own political, economic and social system and its own way of life free from any outside interference or pressure. We believe that mutual respect, non-interference and equality among all nations are essential principles underlining the creation of a stable and peaceful international order.

The tragedy of Vietnam is that the conflict between North and South has drawn in also the big powers, so that the war has come to be regarded as confrontation between the big powers themselves. We believe that all those who feel for the sufferings of the Vietnamese people, whether they be in the North or in the South, are anxious that the war should be brought to a speedy end. Many countries, Asian, African and European, have made efforts to mediate in the war but to no avail. If that is so, Sir, I need not add that there is precious little that Singapore can do to help bring the war to a peaceful conclusion. All we can hope is that the outcome can be settled at the conference table and not by enlargement of the war. This calls for restraint and patience on the part of all those directly and indirectly involved in the war in the name of Vietnam.