Carrington bid to avert deadlock

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 8

Carrington bid to avert deadlock

|NZPA-Reuter London! Rhodesia peace talks have! begun a crucial round-table I session expected to have an important bearing on wheth-i er the combatants in the se-ven-year-old guerrilla war I can avoid deadlock over a new constitution for the re-1 bel colony. I The negotiations, now inj I their fourth week, have been inching through details of a| 'new black-rule constitution! since they started. Conference sources said,! (however, that there were still! wide differences between war-; I ring parties, the Salisbury! |Government of Bishop Abel! (Muzorewa and the Patriotic! !Front guerrillas of Robert; Mugabe and .Joshua Nkomo. | i Britain, the conference!

(chairman, was not in full acIcord with either side but appeared closer to Salisbury than to the guerrillas, confer[ence sources said. ! The British Foreign Secretary (Lord Carrington) has [summoned both sides to a [full-scale plenary session, the [first for some two weeks, to[day to discuss their differences in front of each other. ] Lord Carrington then hopes [to table “refined” proposals tomorrow for a peace constitution which Britain would | not want to change to suit [either party, according to the [sources. ] In a clear indication of British pressure on the guerril-j (las, the sources said Britain [felt the Patriotic Front, unIlike t'he Muzorewa Govern-,

-jment had not made wide-| -[ranging concessions on a con/Istitution for legal indepen-l ■ [dence. [ But the sources said Britain I ■[would not view its new pro-! yposals as an ultimatum to the[ t [Patriotic Front. :| The constitutional issue, if| ■'unresolved, will block the' ■I way to negotiating the! .[thorniest question of how the, > I war-battered territory should] > be led to new elections and] ■[internationally recognised inl[dependence accompanied by tithe lifting of trade sanctions. I :! The guerrillas have made] clear they will only agree toj [lay down their arms in the] [debilitating war when these] i[transitional issues have been] ■ (settled. ■[ A Patriotic Front spokes-1

Iman. Eddisort Zvobgo, said ) yesterday the guerrillas were[j [far apart from Britain on is- u [sues including citizenship [j (rights, whether there should[, [be an executive president or ( [prime minister, the appoint- [ iment of an army commander, f [and pensions for civil ser- 1 :'vants. t ■! Britain hoped its proposals t ([would bridge the gaps be- 1 I [tween its position and those t [of Salisbury and the Patriotic 1 Front, conference sources ‘ said. 1 A Salisbury delegation 1 [source said the Bishop’s team,! [was discussing details withjl [Lord Carrington and did not; [envisage that the remaining! [outstanding issues between) [Britain and Salisbury would;, (take up much time.