Basutos Differ In Constitution

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 15

Basutos Differ In Constitution

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, June 20. Basutoland’s two opposition parties announced yesterday that they would protest to the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity about their country’s independence terms.

The parties, which jointly polled more votes than the ruling National Party in the first General Election last year, walked out of final independence talks in London this week.

They were absent when the British Colonial Secretary, Mr Lee, signed an agreement on Friday to give independence on October 4 to the mountainous colony, entirely surrounded by South Africa.

The Congress Party and the Marematlou Freedom Party announced jointly today they would not accept the new Constitution agreed between Britain and the ruling party, because it was against the wishes of the majority of their people. They said they would leave London, probably tomorrow, in three groups to continue their resistance to the Constitution.

One group would go to United Nations headquarters in New York. Another would see the United Nations Colonialism Committee, at

present in session in Algiers, and then go on to the O.A.U. headquarters in Addis Ababa. The third group, including the Opposition Leader, Mr Ntsu Mokhehle, would return direct to Maseru, the Basutoland capital.