U.K. minister annoys Harare

Press, 10 January 1983, Page 8

U.K. minister annoys Harare

NZPA Harare Zimbabwe's national newspaper, the “Herald,” has accused the visiting British Foreign Office Minister, Mr Cranley Onslow, of voicing sympathy with South Africa when he addressed a meeting in Harare late last week. Earlier last week Mr Onslow caused a controversy by visiting the former Rhodesian Prime Minister, lan Smith. Zimbabwe Government officials said that Mr Onslow had not notified the authorities that he intended meeting Mr Smith. In its main front-page story the “Herald” quoted Mr Onslow as telling a Harare meeting of the British-Zim-babwe Society on Thursday that 'a South African raid into Lesotho last year, which resulted in 42 deaths, “was not a mistake.”

The newspaper said that Mr Onslow had also remarked that he did not believe South Africa wanted to survive through a policy of destabilising its black-ruled neighbouring States, that Cuban troops in Angola were extraneous, and that he was encouraged by the Pretoria Government’s “genuine desire to achieve a solution to the Namibian problem.” The “Herald’’ also reported that Mr Onslow had referred to Zimbabwe by its former colonial name, Rhodesia. Questioned by reporters, about the “Herald” story, Mr Onslow said: "It is not a wholly accurate report of what I said.” He later left for a visit to Kenva.