J-j, AUTAI i..
PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA TUESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 1979
RHODESIA
The Australian Government warmly welcomes the
announcement from London that final agreement had been reached
between the parties at the Constitutional Conference on all
aspects of a Rhodesian settlement.
The leaders in the talks -Lord Carrington, Bishop
Muzorewa, Mr. Nkomo and Mr. Mugabe -are to be congratulated
for their outstanding dedication to the task of reaching
agreement. In the four successive phases of discussion
on an independence constitution, on transitional arrangements,
on ceasef ire arrangements, and on implementation procedures
all the parties had shown a willingness to compromise, to
move away from entrenched positions, and to continue negotiating
even when at times it seemed that the conference could go
no further. The agreement is a magnificent achievement of historic
importance. It opens the way for a just and democratic solution
to the political problems that have for many years bedevilled
Rhodesia. It means an end to the war that has brought suffering,
death and economic hardship to many thousands of people of
all races in Rhodesia and the surrounding countries.
The London agreement means in essence that all the
parties who have been engaged in the Rhodesian conflict have
now agreed to put their faith in democratic elections, to
be conducted under the authority of a British Governor,
in order to determine Rhodesia's future Government. The
British Government resumes its authority over Rhodesia for
the transitional period leading up to the elections. Following
signature on 19 December of the settlement reached at
Lancaster House, the ceasefire will come into effect on 27
December. The elections will be held about 2 months later.
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Australia has contributed significantly to the
reaching of this settlement and will be taking part in its
implementation. With signature of an all-parties settlement and
British authority re-established in Rhodesia, the Australian
Government can be satisfied that the objectives for which
sanctions were imposed have been achieved. The Australian
Government will therefore now take the necessary steps to
remove sanctions against Rhodesia.
The Government recongises that a number of countries
may wish to await the formal lifting of sanctions by the
United Nations Security Council. But for Australia, as a
country that has played an active part in contributing to
the present outcome, the Government believes it is appropriate
to remove sanctions immediately following the signature of
an all-parties agreement on Wednesday.
This will mean that, among other things, travel
between Rhodesia and Australia will be unrestricted. Trade
and other forms of contact will be similarly unrestricted.
Britain, the United States and some other countries
are also lifting sanctions against Rhodesia. The Australian
Government hopes that all other nations now welcome Rhodesia
back into the world community by the lifting of sanctions and
the encouragement of the Government that will emerge as a
result of the forthcoming elections there.
The London Conference had its genesis in the
recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Lusaka.
At that meeting, under the chairmanship of President Kenneth
Kaunda of Zambia, Commonwealth leaders addressed the Rhodesian
problem as a matter of priority concern. Australia was one of
the small contact group of six countries that drafted a set
of principles on which a negotiated solution could be based.
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These principles were adopted by the Lusaka meeting. They
were intended to provide a framework for early efforts by
Britain and the other interested parties to reach agreement
at the conference table, and to establish a political climate
of support for movement away from entrenched adversary
positions. The Lusaka principles proved their worth in a long
and difficult negotiating process in London. The continued
interest and moral support of Commonwealth countries, and their
strong desire that the talks should not be allowed to fail,
was a significant and helpful factor.
Australia will be contributing to the implementation
of the agreed settlement in two ways.
First, Australia will provide a contingent of
around 150 men to a ceasefire monitoring force, along with
contingents from Britain, Fiji, Kenya and New Zealand.
Britain's willingness to mount such a force, and Commonwealth
countries' willingness to contribute, became an essential element
in reaching agreement in London. The function of the monitoring
force will be to observe and report on the effectiveness of
the ceasefire. In no circumstances will it be called upon
to enforce the ceasefire, to intervene or mediate between
opposing forces, or to exercise law-and-order functions in
Rhodesia. The role of the force, and arrangements for its
operation, have been agreed between the British and Australian
Governments. The Australian Government is satisfied that
proper arrangements have been made, and accordingly it has
authorized the despatch of the Australian contingent to
Rhodesia. / 4
A small advance party is leaving Australia on
December. The main body of the Australian contingent is
due to arrive in Salisbury on 24 December, and to move out
to operational areas on 25 and 26 December. They will remain
on duty throughout the pre-election period. It is intended to
withdraw the contingent as soon as practicable after the
announcement of the election results, and in any event no
later than the independence day for Zimbabwe.
The despatch of Australian soldiers abroad is an
important event. Australia has in recent years contributed
in various ways to UN peacekeeping and monitoring arrangements,
in Cyprus, the Middle East, and Pakistan. There will be risks,
as in any such operation. But the Government is satisfied
that it has taken a responsible decision as a member of the
Commonwealth, in helping to bring about the restoration of peace
and democracy in Rhodesia.
Australia will also be sending a team of election
observers, and providing a representative for a proposed
collective Commonwealth team which is being organised by the
Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr. Ramphal.
The task of the national team will be to observe
and to report to the Australian Government and Parliament on
whether the elections conducted under the authority of the
British Governor are free and fair.
It is proposed that the Commonwealth team report,
through the Commonwealth Secretary-General, to Commonwealth
Heads of Government. Its membership would be drawn from a
representative group of Commonwealth countries.
The Government will announce the composition of
Australia's national election observer team, and Australia's
representative on the Commonwealth team as soon as possible.
A small Australian Liaison Office will be established
in Salisbury to assist the ceasefire monitoring contingent
and the election observers. It will also serve as a direct
point of contact between the Australian Government and
the British authorities in Salisbury.