Smith confronts his party

Press, 17 September 1976, Page 5

Smith confronts his party

NZPA-Reuter Umtali| The Rhodesian Prime Min-' ister (Mr lan Smith) has] asked his Rhodesian Front Party Congress for approval to join Dr Henry Kissinger’s] efforts to prevent racial war] in southern Africa. The Prime Minister’s hard-j line opponents said Mr Smith! was trying to water down] Rhodesia’s strict segregation-] ist policies. In a dramatic speech at the I closely-guarded party confer-] ence site, two miles from the] Mozambique border refuge of j black nationalist guerrillas,' one leader said Dr Kissinger’s; global peace missions had] “lost ground” for Western I civilisation. The country’s entire leadership, guarded by troops,' assembled for the three-day! congress. Mr Smith was expected to] outline a plan for new negoti-i ations over majority rule ini Rhodesia, party officials said.]

He warned on Wednesday to remember Taiwan, Vietnam, and Angola, and not to expect too much from the latest American initiative in southern Africa. The chairman of the party (Mr Des Frost) told the congress: “I regret to have to remind you that where America under Dr Kissinger has involved itself in issues beyond its shores, Western civilisation has lost ground. Indeed, only mention their latest attempts in Vietnam, Taiwan, and Angola.” Mr Frost attacked the United States proposal for a multi-million dollar “bail-out” fund for Rhodesian whites who want to leave the country. “I can assure them that they will only succeed in making a handful of men very rich indeed and plunging the rest of the population into abject poverty,” he told the congress.