1965: Slow progress at Rhodesia talks

Prime Minister Harold Wilson appears to have made little headway in a final effort to persuade Rhodesian leader Ian Smith to drop his plans for independence.

Rhodesian officials say they have rejected a British plan for a Royal Commission to draw up a new constitution acceptable to the whole population.

Instead, they are proposing a joint Royal Commission - with two Rhodesian and one British nominee - to look at ways of altering the exisiting constitution.

At the end of the day, Mr Wilson was also banned from making a live appeal on television to the Rhodesian people against Mr Smith's plans for a Unilateral Declaration of Independence or UDI.

Dire consequences

British authorities are only prepared to permit independence on the basis of giving the black majority population a fair share of power.

At the last election in May only 11,000 out of a total of four million black Rhodesians were entitled to vote.

Relations between the two leaders appear to have deteriorated since Mr Wilson arrived in Rhodesia.

Mr Smith today described as "incredible" any threat of economic sanctions.

He interrupted a meeting of Cabinet in Salisbury to issue a statement denying any "breakdown" of the talks.

He continued: "Let it be clearly understood that Mr Wilson has levelled no threats whatsoever to me or to my Cabinet at any time in the past week."

Reports yesterday suggested the British Prime Minister had warned of dire consequences to the Rhodesian economy if Mr Smith went ahead with UDI.

Mr Wilson also said the rest of the world would not be prepared to see neighbouring Zambia 'sink' as a result of any retaliatory action from Rhodesia if she supported sanctions against Rhodesia.

Zambia (formerly northern Rhodesia) is seen as highly vulnerable. Rhodesia could choose to shut off the railway line carrying Zambian copper to the outside world. It could also cut off coal and electricity supplies.

It is understood Mr Wilson will now hold a brief news conference in the morning before flying on to Zambia.

He will leave behind Commonwealth Secretary Arthur Bottomley and Attorney General Sir Elwyn Jones to keep talks with the Rhodesian government going.

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