The Herald, September 26, 1979  

NEW YORK. – The British Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, yesterday told the UN General Assembly he hoped Britain would soon be able to grant legal independence to Zimbabwe Rhodesia on the basis of genuine majority rule, reports Iana-Reuter.  

In his first address to General Assembly, he gave details of the constitutional conference on the future of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, which has been taking place in London for the past two weeks.  

“A heavy responsibility will lie on any who fails to respond to his opportunity to achieve for the people of Rhodesia a fair settlement, which will bring international acceptance and an end to the war,” he said.  

“Agreement in principle by the Salisbury Government to British Constitutional proposal was a bold decision by Bishop Muzorewa’s delegation. 

“Significant progress on certain points has also been made in discussions with the leaders of the Patriotic Front.  

“All parties must sustain their efforts to continue the momentum of the conference if the gains so far made are not to be eroded.” 

Lord Carrington said much more difficult negotiation undoubtedly lay ahead before all the people of Zimbabwe Rhodesia could live in security and peace.  

“I do not under-estimate the difficulties which remain to be overcome, but I dare to hope that the moment may not be too far away when the British Government and Parliament will be able to grant legal independence to Rhodesia on the basis of genuine majority rule.”  

But Lord Carrington said it was on South Africa that the stability of the troubled region would depend in the longer term.  

“We share the International community’s distaste of apartheid. It is neither just nor workable. But will threats and isolation bring about the changes we all want to see?”  

He said the British Government believed it was better to accept that South Africa’s plural society gave rise to unprecedented problems and to offer help to the leaders of all races to work together towards just solutions.  

LESSONS FOR TODAY 

The United Nations General Assembly provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the UN Charter.  

In this case, Lord Carrington briefed the UN General Assembly on progress that had been met at Lancaster, which cast the international limelight of Zimbabwe Rhodesia’s issues.  

For any agreement to be effective, it needs a total buy-in of all parties on the negotiating table as well as external parties. In the case of the future of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, granting of total independence relied on the buy-in of the international community and the UN was key to this.  

Even now as the country battles to have the illegal sanctions imposed by the West lifted, there has been a push for the United Nations to add its voice to the amplified calls for the removal of sanctions.  

The UN Special Rapporteur’s research on unilateral coercive measures, Alena Douhan, has been leading the charge for the unilateral removal of sanctions in Zimbabwe on behalf of the UN.  

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey