Rhodesia talks hid collapses

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33712, 9 December 1974, Page 19

Rhodesia talks hid collapses

C N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —CopvrijhO

SALISBURY, December 8.

Attempts to bring the Rhodesian Government and its black guerrilla opponents to the conference table have failed.

A statement in Salisbury by the Rhodesian Government has effectively announced the collapse of well-laid plans to convene a conference on the country’s deadlocked Constitutional dispute.

The latest bid to settle the dispute, which centres on Rhodesia’s pace of advance to black majority government, was the result of months of secret Southern African diplomacy which only came to light last week.

It was then revealed that the black nationalist leaders, Mr Joshua Nkomo and the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, had been briefly released from detention in Rhodesia to attend a Constitutional summit meeting in Lusaka last month with three Black African Presidents. Cease-fire Mr Nkomo, leader of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Z.A.P.U.) guerrilla movement, and the Rev. Sithole, leader of the rival Zimbabwe African National Union (Z.A.N.U.) held talks with President Kaunda of Zambia, President Nyerere of Tanzania, and President Khgama of Botswana.

Last wee.; the Z.A.N.U. and Z.A.P.U. leaders were again flown to Lusaka for a second round of discussions with the three Presidents. Also present were Bishop

Ab el Muzorewa, leader of thi: African National Council (ANC), Rhodesia’s most prominent legal black political' organisation, and a representative of the South Afi rican Government, informed sources said. Observers felt that the cle; tr aim of these discus sions was to produce a cease-fire in the guerrilla war wag?d against Rhodesia by Z.A.N.U. and Z.A.P.U., and I then to convene a conference of all parties to the Constitutional dispute, including Britain. 21.A.N.U., Z.A.PU, and the Zambian Government all declined to comment on Mr Smith’s announcement yesterday which described the nationalist demand for a Con: rtitutional conference linktid to immediate majority rule as totally unacceptable. South Africa

Zambia played a key role in tl te negotiations, making secret contact with the Souti 1 African Government, whicP in turn was said to have urged Mr Smith and his colleagues to reach a compromise by giving Afric, an voters at first parity with the minority Europeans, followed by a relatively swift transition to majority

rule by the end of 1975. Although some observers in Salisbury were despondent over the outcome, others, believed Salisbury’s rejection of the nationalists' demands for immediate black majority rule was not the end of the road. They said it was agreed that both sides would start from extremely hard negotiating positions, and believed it would be wrong to rule out the possibility of further talks. Fate unknown Considerable specualtion still surrounds the fate of the two nationalist leaders, Mr Nkomo and the Rev. Sithole, who were released bn parole Their presence, confirmed in Salisbury and by sources in Lusaka, was believed to be tied to a successful outcome.

Now that the negotiations have failed it is not known whether they are still free men or have been returned to their cells in Rhodesia.