Owen faces tough fight to get latest peace plan accepted

Press, 27 August 1977, Page 8

Owen faces tough fight to get latest peace plan accepted

International J

NZPA-Reuter London The British Foreign Secretary (Dr David Owen) left by air yesterday for Lagos at the start of a southern Africa mission to present Anglo-American proposals for Rhodesia's legal independence.

However, his mission is unlikely to go smoothly. African Presidents will re-1 ject the latest Anglo-Ameri-) can peace plan for Rhodesiai if it tries to disarm the country’s black nationalist guerrilla army, a high-rank-ing Tanzanian source has said. Government sources said that they were alarmed by reports of the shape of new proposals for a settlement of the breakaway white ruled British colony’s future, due to be discussed in the Zambian capital of Lusaka at thej week-end. The proposals leaked on Thursday suggested the dis-j armament of black national-i lists and the disbanding of( jthe Rhodesian Army in the} transition to black rule. Shortly before leaving, Dr Owen had talks with the United Nations SecretaryGeneral (Dr Kurt Waldheim) on ways in which the United Nations might contribute to a Rhodesian constitutional settlement. They examined the possi-

iblity of a United Nations I peace-keeping force for Rhoidesia during a transition [period leading to black- ( majority rule and legal indei pendence by the end of next . year, British officials said. They reached no decisions. Dr Waldheim told a press conference that such a peace-keeping force would ■ require a mandate from the United Nations Security Council. He believed that if the Security Council voted( for such a force, there) would be no difficulty in re-| jcruiting for it from smaller [United Nations member) States. But it would require the! agreement of parties in the (independence dispute. ; Dr Owen will spend a fewj hours in Lagos and will be joined there bv Mr Andrew Young, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. They will then fly to Lusaka to present the propo= sals to the leaders of the five Front-line African States concerned with the

i 11-year-old Rhodesian inde- ■ pendence quarrel. i The five are Zambia. Tan- ■ zania, Botswana, Mozam- ■ bique, and Angola. The guert rillas of the Rhodesian Patriotic Front led by Mr Robert Mugabe and Mr Joshua i Nkotno operate mainly from i Mozambique and Zambia. I Informed source;, in Lu- ‘ saka have said the proposals effectively demand the abdij cation of the white-minority (Government of the Prime) : Minister (Mr lan Smith) in! (favour of a British transi-i i tional administration possi- j (bly supported by an inter- [ national peace-keeping force. After their Lusaka talks, [Dr Owen and Mr Young will i visit South Africa. Dr Owen ‘will later go to Nairobi andj then to Salisbury for talks j with Mr Smith after the Rhodesian General Election. Dr Waldheim is due to fly to Zurich after his meetings i with Dr Owen and the Prime : Minister (Mr James Callag- I han).