Zimbabwe talks in crisis as Britain stays firm on truce

Press, 5 December 1979, Page 8

Zimbabwe talks in crisis as Britain stays firm on truce

NZPA-Reuter London The Zimbabwe Rhodesia peace talks, which appeared to be on the brink of success last week, were in a crisis yesterday as Britain put pressure on the guerrillas to accept a cease-fire.

The outcome hinged on the reaction of the Patriotic! Front guerrilla chiefs, Mr Joshua Nkomo and Mr Robert Mugabe, to a British ultimatum from the Foreign Secretary (Lord Carrington), the conference chairman. Saying he was closer to despair than at any point since talks started three months ago. Lord Carrington laid down his stand at a| press conference. He said Britain was issuing a decree creating the: position of a British gover-i nor, whose arrival in Sa-j lisbury would bring the: rebel colony under legal British authority. Lord Carrington said an, independence constitution! would be enacted “within ! the next few days’’ giving 1

the guerrillas until then to, accept his cease-fire plan. He and his officials dodged all questions about whether Britain would really go ahead and .'nd a governor to Salisbury with a war going on between guer.llias and the bi-racial administration of Bishop Abel Muzorewa. The guerrillas have been waging war for seven years,! and more than 20,000 people I have been killed. But they and the I shop’s delegation have accepted proposals for new elections in the territory leading to legal independence. Ceas e-fire negotiations were not expected to pose a serious hurdle. But last week the Patriotic Front made new demands which

Lord Carrington rejected as unreasonable. For three days the guerrillas refused to talk to the British Foreign Secretary. Yesterday the situation deteriorated when the Salisbury delegation, which accepted the cease-fire proposals, threatened to return home unless progress was imminent. “No doors have finally I been closed, but we simply cannot wait forever for the Patriotic Front’s reply,” Lord Carrington told reporters. A guerrilla spokesman, Mr Willie Musururewa, said the! guerrillas would not be influenced by any ultimatum. “We want to get a settlement that sticks and we’ll do everything to get it,” he; said.