The Assembly,
Taking into account the Resolution adopted by the Committee on General Affairs at Strasbourg on 21st December 1949, under which :
The Committee on General Affairs unanimously expresses the wish that the President of the Assembly should get into touch with the British Government to request it to arrange unofficial conversations between representatives of the countries of the British Commonwealth and representatives of the Council of Europe with a view to determining the manner in which the Commonwealth may collaborate with the Council of Europe in the political and economic spheres.
Taking into account, likewise, the reply given to this request by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, after the meeting in Colombo of the members of the Commonwealth, which contained in particular the following passage :
" The representatives of the other Governments of the Commonwealth have stated that in their opinion there was nothing incompatible between the policy pursued by the Government of the United Kingdom with regard to Western Europe and the maintenance of the traditional links between the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. "
Having already declared that " the realisation of European unity must not entail any weaken-ing of the links at present existing between certain Members of the Council of Europe and overseas territories or countries ", and that " the active participation of these countries is, on the contrary, particularly necessary as a contribution to the progress of European unity."