TALKS BEGIN IN SALISBURY

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30892, 27 October 1965, Page 17

TALKS BEGIN IN SALISBURY

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

SALISBURY, October 26.

Three hundred Africans cheered the British Prime Minister, Mr Wilson, as he drove to the office of the Rhodesian Premier, Mr lan Smith, today for talks on the independence crisis.

Meanwhile, a statement from Russia has pledged support for the African populations of Rhodesia if the white leaders declared independence. The Soviet statement appeared to be timed to coincide with Mr Wilson’s visit.

Last night Mr Wilson and Mr Smith met informally at a Government House banquet given by the Governor, Sir Humphrey Gibbs, shortly after Mr Wilson flew in from London with his Commonwealth Secretary, Mr Arthur Bottomley.

All signs point to a tough and possibly lengthy series of meetings ahead for Mr Wilson with the colony’s white minority government and African nationalist leaders.

Reports circulated in Salisbury today that Mr Wilson will put forward some new proposal to persuade the Smith Government to step! back from the brink of a unilateral declaration of independence. The sweetener in such a plan might be massive British financial help to speed African education and so help more of the colony’s four million Africans to become eligible to vote, political analysts said. ‘Break Deadlock’ This type of plan was discussed during the abortive talks between Mr Wilson and Mr Smith in London earlier this month, but observers here believe it may still pro-

vide a useful talking point

At a crowded news conference after his arrival at Salisbury Airport, Mr Wilson said his task was “to break what we must all recognise is a deadlock in the negotiations.”

He affirmed his view that a unilateral declaration of independence would be a tragedy. Intense African feelings on the independence issue were immediately made clear to Mr Wilson. Russian View Five thousand Africans met him at the airport—Europeans stayed away—and during his news conference there were chants outside of “One man—one vote.” The 10-mile route from the airport to Government House was lined with Africans.

The Russian statement carried by the Soviet news agency, Tass, said Russia would refuse to recognise a “criminal” racist regime in Salisbury.

Tass said that if the Rhodesian whites legalised their “racist regime in Rhodesia” Russia would co-operate with other African countries "in rendering utmost support” to the 4.000.000 African population of Rhodesia. The statement was the first official expression of Kremlin views on the Rhodesian situation, although the Salisbury Government has been under

frequent fire in the Russian press.

Tass did not say what support Russia may be ready to give the Africans in Rhodesia. Britain, Tass said, “bears full responsibility for everything that is happening in that colony.” Conversion of Rhodesia into a racist state like South Africa would be a fresh crime against the people of Africa, Tass said.

The African population was already being “brutally oppressed by the British colonialists and local white racists.”