ZIMBABWE 1. The reality in Zimbabwe is that of a war situstion in which the fberation forces of the Patriotic Front as representing the interests of seven million Zimbabweans are locked in a bitter conflict against the forces of the rebel regime representative minority.
2. The historical development of the present: conflict situation consistently that Britain, as the colonial power since 1890, has, in successive stages, not only consistently refrained responsibilities towards people but has also yielded lo. demands of the settler community to the extent of acquiescing in the illegal acts of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
Since the Patriotic Front forces assumed the revolutionary task, imbalance of power between the oppressed and subjected majority and the oppressive minority ruling class through the instrumentality armed struggle.
By its sweat and blood, Patriotic Front becomes decisive factor in the decolonisation process which the decolonisation power had failed to accomplish.
Accordingly, by the fact of the advance of the liberation struggle establishment of firm and indisputable control over a vast region of the country extension of its military operations over 90 per cent of tae total Patriotic Front, which порото от masses, has force operating onial system. thes diminishing the role of •lich it has become merely nominal.
4. By virtue of its established military and political position, the become the sole legitimate and authentic Socialist Challenge 6 September 1979 Page 8 London conference, 10 September without racist settler holds demonstrates racist colonial the Zimbabwean the racist placed and Army. 6.
redressed the of therefore, the the effective and according resulting area of Zimbabwe, enjoys • tbe fullest become the only settler decolomising power to the extent to process Patriotic Front has representative of the people of Zimbabwe, whose consent no whatever kind could ever succeed.
The Patriotic Front, recognising that the process of achieving an acceptable agreement is necessarily a movement from war to peace, that the basis of any constitutional settlement cannot fall short of the complete removal of the causes of the war, through the disbandment of the oppressive and instruments of control, and its consequent replacement by a truly democratic government into whose control the liberation forces are transformed into The movement from war to peace, being # movement oppressive settler minority rule to a democratic system, cannot at the same time be based on a constitution of the very racial and undemocratic system it seeks to destroy. To do so is not only to vitiate the principle of democracy, but also to sanctify illegality and racism.
Similarly, to incorporate in a purportediy democratic constitution provisions creating a special position for groups or communities or such groups or communities preferential treatment on no other basis than those of race or colour is repugnant to the principles of democracy as we understand and cherish them.
All citizens being equal before the law must enjoy equal rights and privileges.
The process of establishing peace from war must aim at the achievement of genuine independence through the utilisation of such modalities as are promotive and not inhibitive of the process. In this regard, the election leading to the emergence government independent should not only be democratic but also come. under the supervision of such persons or groups of persons settlement having desired illegal regime.
physical 8. •Any consistent demanded 252-252-).
Rhodesia. 9. The recognised negotiations of the Zimbabwe the present conflict.
as possess an objectivity and impartiality which are beyond question.
The Conservative government of Britain.
endorsed the fraudulent elections held by the present illegal regime in April as 'free and fair', and having pronounced themselves in favour of lifting sanctions, has forfeited every right to supervise the process D! change. It is decidedly biased in favour of the proposed scheme envisaging the solution of the Rhodesian problem must be with the expressed interests of the people of Zimbabwe and the course which the international community, in particular the OAU (Organisation, of African Unity) and the United Nations, has prescribed and advocated with consistent vigour over the last 17 years, that is from 1962 to 1979.
During this period the United Nations has consistently that decolonised to the satisfaction of the people of Zimbabwe. Both the General Assembly and the Security Council rejected UDI in 1965 at the request of Britain (resolutions 232-232-and in 1977 Britain sought before the Security Council a resolution empowering the United Nations to supervise elections in Zimbabwe under the Anglo-American plan.
In March 1978 the Security Council passed a resolution rejecting the 3 March "internal settlement' and called for a solution based on the United Nations resolutions on Patriotic Front has that principle of bring about settlement leading to the total transference of power from the settler racist minority to the majority of the people in Zimbabwe could not be excluded as an additional means of resolving Elsewhere on this spread and whether itself. 10.
negotiate a solution.
internal settlement so-called Signed:
always serious R.G. Mugabe genuine President of ZANU J.N.M. Nkomo President of ZAPU 20 August 1979 ON MONDAY 10 September at Lancast conference •to Zimbabwe. For the first time since 1976 a B But can the Tories succeed in imposing t reprint here a statement of the political p issued in Dar-es-Salaam a fortnight ago. Front's confidence in the intentions of the endorse the central arguments of the stațe RICHARI pretensions to wield colonial power in explains what we can do to get British har The Patriotic Front therefore expresses itself in favour of entering into serious negotiations with the British government with a view to any substantial of common agreement exists between Britain and By accepting the British invitation to attend the proposed conference the Patriot Front must clearly be understood to have done nothing more than indicate its willingness to It rejects both the proposed constitutional framework, which has as its basis the illega. consfitution, and the proposal of a ceasefire it unjustifiably makes The war will therefore continue until the objective of liberation has been achieved.
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government begins its in getting all parties around the table.