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than pouring from the bottle through those special metal
attachments.
In a small church, perhaps there is no need to bother. But in
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a church where hundreds meet
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it is lots of work and almost
impossible not to make a mess when the usual methods are used.
--Ron Stoddart, Salisbury, Rhodesia
ON THE WORLD SCENE
U.S. AFRICA POLICY FIASCO The United States and Britain have painted
themselves into a corner on the Rhodesia situation.
Both countries have refused to accept as final the "internal settle
ment" plan as reached by Prime Minister Ian Smith and three mod,erate
black leaders, even though it provides, by the end of the yea�; for
a universal-franchise, black majority rule government, with appropriate
safeguards of the white population (for ten years). The terms of
the agreement are basically those former Secretary of State Rissinger
proposed to Ian Smith in September 1976, which Smith accepted -- and
so did the leaders of surrounding black states until the Soviets
forced the latter to change their-minds.
President Carter, in Lagos, Nigeria, even called the settlement
"illegal." Black African states will not accept the settlement
because they cannot countenance any agreement made with Srnith, ·and
because they frankly do not like the minority safeguard provisions,
even though if the whites are forced to flee, the Rhodesian economy
would collapse.
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The policy of the U.S. and Britain in Africa is to placate the black
African state on this issue, but to ''moderate" their demands, if
possible. The alternate Anglo-American plan for Rhodesia calls for
including the "Patriotic Front" guerrillas fighting the new transitional
government, in the settlement -- like letting the wolves into the hen
house. Of course the Patriotic Front wants total control of "Zimbabwe,"
and not to share power with the moderates. Nevertheless Washington
and London push on, in their vain meddlings.
Over the weekend in Tanzania, Patriotic Front leaders Joshua Nkomo
and Robert Mugabe totally frustrated Secretary of State Vance and
Britain's Foreign Minister__D__ay_�
c:..
Knowing the U.S. and Br;i
_
tain ,
"can't" support Smith and the moderates, Nkomo and Mugabe raised the
ante for their "co-operation." Instead of agreeing, as they did
earlier, to equal representation with the "internalists" in a trans
ition government, they demanded a dominant role: they demanded that
their guerrillas become the new Zimbabwe army and that the present
Rhodesian army be disarmed and disbanded.
The PF's demands obviously were made so high that they could not possibly
be accepted. They are not interested in a p�aceful settlement since
they lack popular support within the country. But good 'ol America
is still trying. Reputed the L.A. Times: "In their public comments,
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U.S. officials made excuses for Mugabe's need to sound tough at this
stage of the talks and asserted their conviction that the Patriotic
Front guerrillas were still open to compromise."