Chinese To Train Zanzibar Troops

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30534, 1 September 1964, Page 23

Chinese To Train Zanzibar Troops

;N Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, August 31. The United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar will accept a Chinese military mission to help train its Army, says the “Observer.” The newspapers Commonwealth correspondent said President Nyerere had told him of the decision in an exclusive interview. The decision was part of an elaborately balanced plan to have several major military powers engaged in training the non-aligned State’s Army. Sustained efforts had been made by some major Western powers, as well as. the Soviet Bloc, to dissuade the Repub-

lie from reaching such an agreement with China. .The Chinese military mission would comprise 11 army instructors. It would complete its programme within a maximum of six months. The agreement had been signed in Peking recently and the mission was expected to arrive within the next few weeks. The correspondent said President Nyerere was about to sign a five-year agreement with West Germany to train the Army’s air wing. Negotiations were proceeding for the United States to train an enlarged and modernised police force. Russia and East Germany were already engaged in training the Army of Zanzibar. Chinese instructors were also in Zanzibar.

The correspondent said the fact that there was at present no British or Commonwealth participation in the military and police training plans was not of President Nyerere’s choosing..

“Ideally 1 would have preferred to see our Army trained by a joint Commonwealth mission,” the President had said. “But my efforts to achieve this did not succeed.” The correspondent said, however, that a Canadian offer to train officers had been accepted.