U.K. Minister To Visit Rhodesia

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31500, 14 October 1967, Page 13

U.K. Minister To Visit Rhodesia

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright)

LONDON, October 13.

The Commonwealth Secretary, Mr George Thomson, announced today that he would visit Salisbury next month and be available for talks with the Rhodesian Government.

The call will round off an African tour, taking in meetings with Presidents Milton Obote of Uganda, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.

But British sources emphasised today that Mr Thomson was taking no new plan for settling the twoyear deadlock over Rhodesia’s unilateral independence declaration. In Salisbury, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, Mr lan Smith, said today that he had no objection to talking to Mr Thomson. The “Rhodesia Herald” quoted Mr Smith as saying in an interview which took place before Mr Thomson’s visit was announced, that if there were to be a meeting “a lot would depend on the circumstances of Mr Thomson's coming here and what he said when he was coming.” Will Study Views “I mean if he was obviously coming here under some plan which was a gimmick to waste time to try to placate the Afro-Asian bloc if it was obvious he was only out to antagonise us and improve his own prestige in the eyes of these people—these are the sort of things that would influence one’s decision.” The “Herald” quoted Mr Smith as saying that he was prepared to consider any suggestion from the British Prime Minister, Mr Harold Wilson, and to have a look at it on its merits. 1 The Salisbury stop, on I November 8 and 9, is to give f Mr Thomson, who is new in | the Commonwealth post, his J first meeting with the British-recognised Governor, Sir Humphrey Gibbs. Ope n Secret j It has been an open secret Hn London for a week that ' Mr Thomson planned to include Rhodesia in his African .trip as it was known the | Governor wanted to meet ’him. * Mr Thomson leaves Lon-

don on October 24 to lead the British delegation to a conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Kampala from October 26 to November 1. After this he will begin

I the tour foreshadowed three i months ago when Mr Wilson • told Parliament that a lead- - ing Minister was to visit i African Commonwealth countries for talks with their i leaders.