THE COLOMBO CONFERENCE OF SOUTH ASIAN PRIME MINISTERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000300010020-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: April 29, 1954
• Content Type: BRIEF

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NSC BRIEFING rm7 29 April 1954
THE COLOMBO CONFERENCE OF
SOUTH ASIAN PRIME MINISTERS
I. Background Five South Asian prime
ministers--from Ceylon, Ipdia, Pakistan,
Burma, and Indonesia--opened three-day
conference in Colombo on 28 April. No
fixed agenda. Conference sponsored by
Prime Minister Kotelawala of Ceylon.
II. Indochina will probably be dominant issue.
A. Nehru expected to raise his plan for
Indochina peace--major points are:
1. Immediate cease-fire.
2. Immediate end French sovereignty.
3. Direct negotiations between France
Associated States, and Viet Minh.
4. Non--intervention agreement among US,
UK, Communist China and USSR.
B. ',ssibility Nehru may also suggest
S r>utheast Asian states police Indochi)?.-P
truce.
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SECRET C. Ceylon has promised to oppose Nehru if
he takes anti-Western tack.
1. Specifically, Ceylon will not
endorse proposals on Indochina which
oppose Dulles-Eden agreement.
(INFOR ONLY)
2. Ceylonese have given US repeated
assurances they want conference to
take "positive" anti-Communist stand.
D. Pakistan likely to support Ceylon.
E. Burmese and Indonesian positions not
known- probably on fence, but generally
sympathetic to Indian viewpoint.
Ill. Other Possible Topics. .
A. Indonesia's call for more inclusive
Asian-African conference and discussion
=:f its claims to Dutch New Guinea.
E. Pakistan willing to discuss Kashmir if
Nehru agrees.
C. Burma reported interested in discussion
of economic problems.
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A. Agreement on detailed progra r, for
action unlikely.
P. But broadly worded resol_utio, hitting
"colonialism" and with overtones of
Southeast Asian "peace area" difficult,
for even Ceylon and Pakistan to resist.
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