U.K. will be urged to play big role in Rhodesia set-up

Press, 29 November 1976, Page 8

U.K. will be urged to play big role in Rhodesia set-up

NZPA-Reuter

Geneva

Britain is likely to come under increasing black African pressure in coming days to play a much greater role than it originally envisaged in an interim government to take Rhodesia to black-majority rule.

The black-white Geneva conference on the future of the breakaway colony is now poised after weeks of stalemate to get down to negotiating the transitional administration, whose establishment could be a first step towards stopping the Rhodesian guerrilla war.

The four Black nationalist delegates at the conference, backed by the ‘front-line” black African States, want Britain to send a governorgeneral. or similar figure, to Rhodesia to oversee the transfer of power during an interim period. This idea was not foreseen in Anglo-American settlement proposals for Rhodesia put forward by the United States Secretary of State (Dr

Henry Kissinger) last September and accepted by the Rhodesian Prime .Minister (Mr Smith). Mr Ted Rowlands, Minister of State at the British Foreign Office, said last week that, although Britain would not send troops or civil servants to Rhodesia it was “ready to assume whatever role and responsibility we see necessary.”

The conference opened formally a month ago yesterday. Almost from the start it was bogged down on fixing a legal independence date for Rhodesia, which broke awav from Britain 11 years ago. To overcome the impasse, the British conference chairman, Mr Ivor Richard, has produced a formula giving Britain's firmest commitment so far that the independent black-ruled State of Zimbabwe will be bom not later than March 1, 1978.

At nationalist insistence, the formula also notes the position of two key black leaders, Mr Robert Mugabe and Mr Joshua Nkomo. that

pre-independence processes can be completed before December 1, 1977. If they are. Britain is pledged to declare independence correspondingly earlier, conference sources •ay.

After agreeing the formula with the two nationalists, Mr Richard said it seemed that the conference could now move on to negotiating the interim government. Mr Mugabe and Mr Nkomo, who form the “Patriotic Front” alliance for the talks, have yet to say publicly whether they share Mr Richard’s view. They had previously in-

si«ted that an immutable independence date be fixed before the conference advanced. But sources in Mr Nkomo’s camp said he was anxious to move the conference forward. The two other nationalist delegates. Bishop Abel Muzorewc and the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, have already begun discussing the interim government with Mr Richard.

The white Rhodesian team, led by the Foreign Minister (Mr Pieter Van Der Byl) has said it is keen to get on with the negotiations. Diplomatic sources say the talks will face their toughest test so far in the discussion of the interim government. Mr Mugabe and Mr Nkomo are expected to issue a statement. perhaps today, setting out their position. In Salisbury a black African group said on Saturday that Britain and the African front-line States had agreed to back the appointment of Mr Nkomo as Prime Minister of the interim government, a move it said could lead to civil war. according to United Press International.

Officials of Bishop Muzorewa’s African National Council said civil war might erupt between black African factions if Mr Nkomo or anyone else became Prime Minister of a pre-majority-rule interim government without being elected to the post. Bishop Muzorewa’s party said it had “irrefutable evidence that the front-line presidents have recommended to Britain that the interim government should be formed now and that it should be headed by Mr Joshua Nkomo.

“Britain has accepted this proposal.” the A.N.C. said.

Mr Lovemore Mbanga, a high-ranking official of Bishop Muzorewa’s organisation. said it was a “safe assumption” that the United States also backed the appointment of Mr Nkomo, who is still considered a moderate among African nationalists despite his alliance with the more radical Mr Mugabe at the talks.