ANTI-SMITH MEETING

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31349, 20 April 1967, Page 15

ANTI-SMITH MEETING

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) SALISBURY, r April 19.

Influential Rhodesian business and professional men have called a secret congress in Salisbury to plan moves to force Mr lan Smith’s whiteminority Government into reopening independence negotiations with Britain, informed sources say.

The exact meeting place of the congress is being kept secret, as are the names of the men involved. But It is expected to take place towards the end of the month at a farm somewhere near Salisbury. A leader of the movement,

which has called itself the Forum Group, said today: Co-ordination “Our aim is to coordinate all those isolated movements and groups of opinion who want a re-opening and acceptance of the non-racial Tiger constitutional proposals into one influential body.”

This is a reference to the talks over Christmas between Mr Smith and Mr Harold Wilson on board the British cruiser Tiger in the Mediterranean off Gibraltar.

The group includes some big names in Rhodesia’s business and professional world, who could obviously command some attention from the Government once they made their voices heard publicly. Organised Opinion. Among them are members of the Rhodesia Constitutional Association, the biggest single body of organised opinion pledged to oppose the racial policies of the Government.

The association last week re-affirmed its view that the Government should accept the Tiger constitution and offer to reopen negotiations with Britain.

It also announced its firm opposition to any move by the Government to declare Rhodesia a republic.

In return for Rhodesia’s acceptance of the constitutional proposals framed aboard the Tiger, both the Forum Group and the Rhodesian Constitutional Association want Britain to abandon its declaration that there should be no independence for Rhodesia before African majority rule. The leaders of the two groups see this as totally unrealistic, and as one of the biggest blocks barring the way to a settlement of the long independence struggle.