Mrs. Gandhi in London, talks with Heath today
LONDON OCT. 29.–Mrs. Gandhi arrived here by air today for talks with British leaders on Bangladesh and other major international developments, Reports Reuter.
She feew here from Vienna and was received at London Airport by Sir Alec Douglas-Home, British Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary.
Strict security precautions had been taken at the airport. Which was surrounded by a tight cordon of police.
Some 20 Sikhs who had turned up at the airport compound for a demonstration never got as far as even catching a glimpse of Mrs. Gandhi.
This is the third leg of her current tour of Western Europe and the USA. Mrs. Gandhi has already visited Belgium and Austra.
Mrs. Gandhi will have dinner talks tomorrow night with Mr. Health at the British Prime Minister’s country residence chequers, in Buckinghamshire near London. They will continue these discussions more formally on Sunday morning.
Before her departure from Vienna, Mrs. Gandhi told the Austian Chancellor, Mr. Bruno Kreisky, that her talks with him on relations between the two countries were extremely useful.
She said that she had been touched by the friendly and cordial reception the Austrian people had given her.
“Our talks were extremely useful for relations between our two countries. I should like to thank you once again for you kindness and hospitality.”
Mrs. Gandhi said yesterday India would have to consider recognising an independent Bangladesh if this contributed towards a solution, report agencies.
In an interview on Austrian Television. Mrs. Gandhi also expressed the opinion that the chances for a political solution corresponding to the wishes of the elected representatives of East Bengal were now less than before.
This was because these representative had been locked up and replaced by appointed deputies from splinter groups which had received hardly any votes in the last elections, she said.
Mrs. Gandhi was asked whether the Indo-Soviet treaty might endanger a normalisation of relations with China, quite apart from narrowing India’s traditional flexibility as a nonaligned country.
She said those who maintained this were mostly those who had never supported non-alignment. Besides, India would never permit her freedom of decision and action to be compromised.
Addressing a crowded Press conference, the Prime Minister also took strong exception to India being equated with Pakistan in relation to the Bangladesh problem.
Reference: Hindustan Standard 30.10.1971