Airlift of soldiers to Rhodesia completed

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 4

Airlift of soldiers to Rhodesia completed

NZPA-Reuter ‘ Salisbury The airlift of the cease-fire monitoring force to Rhodesia from Britain and the Commonwealth ended yesterday when the last Australian. New Zealand and Fiiian contingents arrived. A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 707 carrying 125 Australian, and two R.A.A.F. Hercules transports with 20 New Zealand. 23 Finan and 20 Australian soldiers aboard, flew into. Salisbury to bring the monitoring force up to its full complement of about 1300. The three planes were held up during the week-end by a cyclone which hit Australia and the Indian Ocean. The Boeing was grounded at Perth and the two Hercules in the Cocos Islands. The deployment of the Australians was to start early ( today, when they were to be, flown to their posts throughout the country where they will help supervise the camps of the rival Salisbury and Patriotic Front armies under the cease-fire agreement signed in London last week. The New Zealand and Fijian soldiers are also duel to be deployed to their

alloted positions in the next tew days. Thousands of soldiers on both sides of the Rhodesia bush war spent Christmas Day on patrol or on alert as[ the ever-present threat of fighting overshadowed the traditional festivities. There was no respite either for British and Commonwealth soldiers, including. New Zealanders, making final preparations to monitor the cease-fire. due to take effect tomorrow. The Rhodesian military [ headquarters has reported' that 26 people, including three Government soldiers: . and 12 guerrillas, had joined the list of more than 20,000 j reported killed in the conflict. The Governor (Lord: Soames) paid an informal! visit to soldiers monitoring! the cease-fire near Salisbury j Airport. Wearing an open-necked safari suit, he wished the: soldiers a happy Christmas ’ and told them: "What you: are doing will be part of’ history.” The next phase of the peace agreement, which re-] quires rhe guerrillas to come out of the bush and report to various assembly points, is•

seen here as potentially explosive. Those not at the desig-1 nated points seven days after | the cease-fire takes effect are' to be considered outlaws. Lord Soames said, "We expect the majority of the guerrillas to come, but not! the hard-core ones.” Another British official: I said it would take a few days: for the numbers to build up.' but he admitted: "We do] not really know what will! happen.” Colonel Kevin Cole, the commanding officer of the 160-strong Australian contingent, said. "The possibility of casualties is always i, there. There are mines scattered all round the country, and there is a danger of accidental clashes.” For the first time since the '■ Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. the Queen’s traditional Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth was .relayed by] Rhodesian television and radio. Most Rhodesians stayed at l home enjoying Christmas dinner and exchanging presents. hut the most desired gift appeared to be an end to I the conflict and a return to peace.