Blacks unite to free S.A. economic hold

Press, 3 April 1980, Page 6

Blacks unite to free S.A. economic hold

NZPA-Reuter* : Lusaka •’Nine black Southern African States have. agreed at a one-day summit meeting on a plan to co-ordinate their development and reduce their economic dependence on white-ruled South Africa.

'.A communique issued after the conference set out a ‘ seven-point programme which Zambian leader, President Kenneth Kaunda, hailed as marking “a new chapter in the political and economic history of southern Africa.” ; President Samora Machel of Mozambique said the unity the nine were aiming for would help to end their colonial inheritance as exporters of raw materials and cheap labour/ and importers of finished goods whose prices. were beyond their control.- . 1 Present at the summit meeting were the Presidents

of the five "front-line” States — Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, Tanzania, and Botswana. — together with Robert Mugabe of Rhodesia, Swaziland’s Prime Minister (Mr Ered Dlamini), and ministerial;,teams from Malawi and Lesotho. .

The-meeting agreed to: set up a regional transport and communications commission based in Maputo, to prepare proposals . for a regional development fund, to prepare a food security plan, to harmonise industrial and energy policies; and/ training facilities, and to set.up an agricultural research centre. The meeting will be followed by a? ministerial. conference . in Zimbabwe' :.- next September and an international donors’, conference in Maputo scheduled .for November, 1980. ", . The twin theme /of unity and independence/ ’ from

South Africa were given equal • emphasis by the “front-line” Presidents, but at least three of them emphasised that they were not looking for economic confrontation. •President Machel said: “We want to clarify that we are not declaring war against South Africa.” Seven of the nine States have close trading and transport links with South Africa.

In Cape Town, the South African Foreign Minister (Mr Pik Botha) said that The Pretoria Government would not beg African countries to have economic or other relations with South Africa. The summit meeting was seen in South Africa a rebuff of Mr Pieter Botha’s declared aim of creating a “constellation of southern African States” — a looselybased economic union centred on South Africa.