Portugal Insists On Neutrality About Oil

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31029, 7 April 1966, Page 17

Portugal Insists On Neutrality About Oil

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) LISBON, April 6. Portugal today underlined her strictly neutral stand on the whole question of oil supplies to Rhodesia, within hours of the scheduled arrival of a top British Minister for urgent talks on the subject. A long policy statement issued by the Foreign Ministry here said Portugal would take no initiative to ensure oil gets through to the breakaway Smith regime.

But it also reaffirmed Portugal’s policy “since many decades” of allowing free access through Mozambique to goods for land-locked African States.

Observers here said J the statement, re- ;t leased as Lord Wais- : t ton, the British < Foreign Office Parlia- ; mentary Under-Secre- l| tary, prepared to fly out, showed Portugal ] had no intention of I changing her present j! attitude. j The London envoy’s trip is h seen as a major bid to save Britain’s oil embargo on L Rhodesia, apparently imperil-! led by the arrival at Beira. ■ Mozambique, of the Greek), tanker, Joanna V. Portugal so far has refused! to join an oil embargo on|. Rhodesia, saying she regards i, this as an affair between Brit- , am and Rhodesia. The Joanna V was anchored: i

in Beira harbour overnight two miles from the docks. She steamed in at dawn yesterday with 18.000 tons of crude oil after shrugging off an intercepting British frigate’s order to steer clear of Beira. In Harbour A British Embassy spokesman in Lisbon said Beira's harbour master had assured the British Consul there that the tanker would remain in harbour until she sailed. The master of the tanker had earlier given an assurance that his sole purpose in docking at Beira was to take on water and provisions and fuel before going on to Djibouti. The Greek Foreign Ministry said yesterday its representative in Beira had been ord- : ered to impose sanctions on :the spot if the Joanna V discharged oil for Rhodesia.

A Greek Government spokesman said the government would order heavy fines and possible imprisonment for the captain of any Greek ship breaking Britain’s oil embargo on Rhodesia. Greece banned all oil shipments to Rhodesia on March 14. U.N. Resolution At the United Nations, diplomats said African States would today start a move to get the Security Council to impose mandatory sanctions on Rhodesia. African, Asian and Communist members are reported ready to table a draft resolution recommending such action at a meeting this evening (8 a.m. Thursday, New Zealand time) of the General Assembly’s special committee on colonialism. The committee chairman, Gershon Collier, of Sierra Leone, said members were “very upset” by yesterday’s failure of a British frigate to prevent the Joanna V reaching Beira.

"It confirms our worst fears,” Mr Collier said. The resolution, assured of a majority in the 24-nation committee, is also thought to make specific mention of the tanker incident.

Today's discussion will be the first public airing of the Rhodesian problem in the United Nations since the council adopted a resolution on November 20, urging all States to do their utmost to impose economic sanctions, including an ail embargo. The resolution did not have any mandatory effect, however, and the African States are known to want sterner measures including the use of force to bring down the white minority government.

While the colonialism committee cannot itself submit a request for a security council session, adoption of the resolution is regarded as a prelude for a meeting of the council soon. Beira officials who went aboard the Joanna V when she anchored, included the manager of the firm building the new 3000-ton oil storage tanks at Beira. These tanks would enable oil from tankers at Beira to reach the pipeline which links the port with Rhodesia's Feruki refinery, by-passing other tanks at Beira whose owners have complied with the oil ban imposed by Britain on Rhodesia. No oil has moved along the Beira-Feruka pipe this year, and it has 14,000 tons of crude oil locked inside. Lonrho Board A meeting of directors of the Portuguese company controlling the pipeline has been called for today. A spokesman for Lonrho, the London company which has a major financial share in the pipeline, said a telegram was received from Lisbon convening a meeting of directors in Lisbon. The spokesman added that the three British directors expected to attend the meeting were Mr Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra, Mr A. H. Ball, and Mr J. A. Caldecott.

A Press Association diplomatic correspondent said fresh steps were likely to be taken at government level to remind the British directors of the pipeline, of the seriousness of their position if the oil embargo to Rhodesia was broken.