‘Muzorewa planning rebuff to Kissinger’

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34132, 20 April 1976, Page 17

‘Muzorewa planning rebuff to Kissinger’

-Reuter—Copyrig ht> LUSAKA. April 19. A secret week-end meeting in Lusaka of Rhodesian black nationalist leaders was overshadowed by a report that the militant leader. Bishop Abel Muzorewa, planned to snub Dr Henry Kissinger during the American Secretary of State's forthcoming tour of Africa.

The Zambian “Sunday Times” quotes Bishop ■ Muzorewa as saying: “I; have no plans to meet Dr Kissinger. To be honest, I have no need to meet him.” The Bishop heads the militant faction of the Rhodesian African National Council, whose leaders are mostly outside Rhodesia, organising guerrilla activity. Commenting on the “Sunday Times” report, a United States Embassy spokesman in Lusaka said that Bishop Muzorewa had nevertheless asked the embassy to arrange a meeting with Dr Kissinger in the United States soon, and that the request had been passed on to the State Department. Senior members of the Bishop’s faction met in Lusaka for the second successive day yesterday, at a secret venue, to discuss strategy against the whiteminority Government led by Mr lan Smith. Bishop Muzorewa said on his arrival in Lusaka that he would be trying to persuade his colleagues in the faction that they should unite with the Rhodesian-based faction led by Mr Joshua Nkomo, but that he expected opposition to this from his supporters in Rhodesia. The “Sunday Times” also quotes Bishop ’ Muzorewa as saying that Rhodesian-based officials of his faction had been unable to come to Lu-

Isaka becau.j they had either been detained or had been I refused travel documents. However, there are unconfirmed reports .hat th' Rhodesian-based officials decided not to come because they opposed Bishop Muzorewa’s attempts at unity with the rival Nkomo faction.

Among other leading Rhodesian Nationalists attending the meeting are Mr James Chikerema and the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, who are both based outside the rebel British colony. Government sources in

'Lusaka say that President iKaunda of Zambia will pay an official visit to Mozambique this week for talks with President Mache! on ways of helping the Rhodesian guerrillas to wage war

Last week, President Nyerere of Tanzania, a leading advocate of force to oust the white Rhodesian Government. was quoted tn an interview as saying that he would forgive the nationalist guerrillas if they felt it necessary to call in Soviet Union or Cuban help to loverthrow the Smith Government.