RHODESIAN QUESTION Another form of govt 'inevitable’

Press, 18 September 1976, Page 4

RHODESIAN QUESTION Another form of govt 'inevitable’

PA Wellington Another form of government in Rhodesia was soon inevitable, said the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) last evening.

/ But it was important that a Government should be brought into fteing by a negotiated settlement rather than by armed conflict, he iaid in a speech prepared for delivery to the Gram-[ mar Club of Auckland. J Commenting on reports ♦flat the United States wast Endeavouring to arrange “some kind of new agree-, ment,” involving various' countries including New Zea-. land, Mr Muldoon said: "As far as the New Zealand Gov-1 eminent is concerned, we are| certainly not going to rubber; stamp some arrangement] between other countries i ’which is announced before; *?e have had any opportunity. Io peruse the detail.’* Mr Muldoon said that whenl he was in London earlier this, year, he had told both thei British Prime Minister and j •Foreign Secretary that I negotiations with the I Rhodesian Prime Minister | (Mr Smith) should continue. | “To that extent, I am I pleased that further negotia-| .lions have eventuated,” Mr Muldoon said. “It is, 1 believe, I .a fact that the Smith Government cannot stand against the 'military pressures that are directed against it, and that some other form of government for Rhodesia is inevitable in the immediate .future. “It is important that this government be brought into Ming by a negotiated settlement rather than as a result of armed conflict, with some kind of victory and some kind of defeat.”’

By trying to suppress the

black nationalist movement by force, the Smith regime had simply strengthened it, Mr Muldoon said.

i “Bloodshed will go on, the nationalists will turn to the Soviet Union for help, and (will get it,” he said. "The [white regime will eventually Ibe overthrown by force and ; replaced by a black one under Soviet influence, unless Mr Smith sees the writing on the wall and comes to terms with the moderate nationalists.”

1 Turning to South Africa, Mr Muldoon said that it was clear there was a growing 'feeling that apartheid would Ibe modified by one means or 'another, regardless of [extremist views inside and ‘out of the South African [Government.

“The recent rioting at Johannesburg and Cape Town shows clearly that the nonwhite peoples of South Africa will no longer accept the apartheid system,’’ Mr Muldoon said. The South African Government asserted that the riots had been organised and [directed from abroad. But it (had produced no evidence to [prove that this was so.

I “All the indications are [that the riots were at least i initially a spontaneous outburst of pent-up anger at the injustice of the apartheid system — and the force of the outburst is far from spent,” Mr Muldoon said. He repeated that New Zealand’s attitude to apartheid was quite clear. "We believe it is wrong, and we want to see it ended,” he said. I It should now be plain, even to South Africans, that I apartheid would not work.

Based as it was on racial discrimination, it was an unjust and inhuman system. Apartheid could be maintained only by the ruthless use of force, but it could not be maintained that way indefinitely, Mr Muldoon said. What the solution was, no outsider could say. “The only thing that is quite clear at this stage is that the solution does not lie in apartheid,” he said. Earlier, Mr Muldoon had said it was unfortunate that the rugby tour of South Africa by the All Blacks, the* Olympic Games, and the riot-1 ing had all coincided. “The absence of any one of these three would have seen a much less inflammatory situation," he said. Mr Muldoon said he would stay up on Saturday night to watch the fourth test, and he hoped that the All Blacks would win. “. . . To say that I did not support the All Blacks on the field tomorrow night would be the act of a hypocrite,” he said. But he said this in no way could disguise the fact that the Government had been deeply concerned about the repercussions of the tour. Referring to the Government’s refusal to accept Rhodesians travelling on Rhodesian passports, Mr Muldoon said this had nothing whatever to do with sport. It arose from New Zealand’s acceptance some years ago of United Nations sanctions against Rhodesia . . - “not just in sport but in every level of activity including trade.

“Rhodesian passports are not recognised in New Zealand. It is as simple as that,” Mr Muldoon said.