1957 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference

Last updated

9th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Host countryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Dates26 June5 July 1957
Cities London
Participants10
Chair Harold Macmillan
(Prime Minister)
Follows 1956
Precedes 1960
Key points

The 1957 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the ninth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in June 1957, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.

The new Canadian prime minister, John Diefenbaker, proposes the intensification of trade relations within the Commonwealth. His call for an Empire Trade Conference were resisted by the British government which has an eye towards the UK developing stronger trade relations with Europe and the newly formed European Economic Community; the impact of the UK joining a European free trade area and its possible consequences on Commonwealth trade was a matter of concern. A Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference is called for the next year.

The aftermath of the Suez Crisis and invasion of Hungary of the previous year were also discussed with the Commonwealth leaders calling for the strengthening of the United Nations as an instrument of peace. The Suez Crisis had badly split the Commonwealth resulting in India, Pakistan and Ceylon considering leaving the organisation; Canadian External Affairs Minister Lester Pearson told the Canadian House of Commons that the Commonwealth faced dissolution over Suez. [1] [2] Multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations were also discussed.

This was the first Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference attended by Ghana, which had attained independence in March 1957.

Participants

NationNamePortfolio
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom Harold Macmillan Prime Minister (Chairman)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Robert Menzies Prime Minister
Canadian Red Ensign (1957-1965).svg Canada John Diefenbaker Prime Minister
Flag of Ceylon.svg Ceylon M. W. H. de Silva Minister of Justice and Leader of the Senate
Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana Kwame Nkrumah Prime Minister
Flag of India.svg India Jawaharlal Nehru Prime Minister
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand Tom Macdonald Minister of External Affairs and Defence
Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Prime Minister
Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953-1963).svg Rhodesia and Nyasaland Sir Roy Welensky Prime Minister
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg South Africa Eric Louw Minister of External Affairs

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)