Arms Sales To SA. TANZANIA WOULD LEAVE COMMONWEALTH

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32354, 21 July 1970, Page 15

Arms Sales To SA. TANZANIA WOULD LEAVE COMMONWEALTH

(N.Z P. A.-Rent er—Copyright) DAR-ES-SALAAM, July 20. Tanzania will leave the Commonwealth immediately Britain announces resumption of arms sales to South Africa, official sources said today.

A formal announcement to this effect would be 'hiade in the National Assembly by the Second Vice - President, M r Rashid Kawana, this morning, the sources said.

They added that the decision had been conveyed to the British High, Commissioner (Mr Horace Phillips) by President Julius Nyerere over the week-end. Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, is due to make a statement about the new Conservative Government’s attitude to arms sales to South Africa In the House of Commons in London this afternoon. The official sources in Dar-es-Salaam stressed that Tanzania’s decision was not an attempt to make Britain change its mind but a logical reaction to the expected move, given Tanzania’s feelings on apartheid. Newspapers and officials have also pointed out that arms for South Africa's external use could be used against countries hostile to

South Africa, such as Tanzania and Zambia. The sources said that Tanzania would leave the Commonwealth immediately Britain's decision was made known.

The Government newspaper, the "Standard”, said today in an editorial that if Britain did resume arms sales to South Africa “We must sever that special relationship which is implied in the Commonwealth, for. it will have been made abundantly clear that the relationship has no basis nor any meaning.” The nationalist newspaper of the ruling Tanu Party, said that the logical move in these circumstances would be to review Britain’s membership of the Commonwealth. “But, realistically, Britain cannot be kicked out of the Commonwealth. But if Bri-

tain cannot leave, Tanzania can, and should. “We shall then at least be able to place Britain at par with the other nations from whom the apartheid regime receives military and moral succour.”

Britain’s anti - apartheid movement yesterday urged the Prime Minister (Mr Edward Heath) to enforce an arms embargo on South Africa. The sale of arms of any kind to South Africa was likely to affect adversely Britain's markets in the independent African States, the United Nations Association said in London. In an executive committee resolution yesterday, the association said that such sales might well have the effect of increasing Russian and Chin-

ese influence on the continent of Africa.

It added that arms sales to South Africa were also in contravention of Security Council resolutions and could only prove detrimental to Britain's influence and interest