Menon opening speaker

Krishna Menon, once known as "the closest friend and confidant of Pandit Nehru", who will open the Peace, Power and Politics in Asia Conference at the Opera House on Saturday.

There will also be three telephoned speeches from overseas.

"The identities of the speakers are to he announced later," said the organiser of the conference, Mr. Alister Taylor, on Sunday.

Krishna Menon was a member of the Indian government from 1952 to 1956, and at various times Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

"He was the foremost opponent of SEATO at its inception, and is a major theorist of non-alignment," said Mr. Taylor.