INDIA AS A REPUBLIC

Chronicle (Levin), 13 April 1949, Page 5

INDIA AS A REPUBLIC

(N.Z.P.A.

— Reuter,

Bifficult PrcMem Facing Prime Ministers

, Copyright)

Received Wed., 9.25 a.m. LONDON, April 12. Eight world statesmen, representing 500,000,000 people; who meet in London next week, will seek a formula that vvill enable India as a Republie to maintain her co-opera-tion with the British Corhmonwealth. They are the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, New Z'ealand, Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Ceylon, and the Canadian External Affairs Minister. There is eyery reason to believe, says Reuter'S politiea! correspondent, that the statesmen will reflect the goodwill of their respectiye countries toward the new India and a general desire that she should continue to play an important part in Commonwealth affairs. They are meeting with no cut and dried plan. Suggestions as to the line the formula will take are dismissed by responsible quarters as pure speculation. It has been stated on the highest authority that the Prime Ministers will approach with completely open minds the constitutional prob]>m which it is aimed to solve. As the I'hdian Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru, recently indicated, there are legal complications in deciding the new Indian relationship, because there is no historical precedent for it, but the evidence ' are that the seareh for a formula will be approached by the Commonwealch leaders in a spirit of sympdthy and understanding.