TANZANIA: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY DR. DAVID OWEN HAS ENCOURAGING TALKS WITH PRESIDENT NYERERE ON FIRST LEG OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN TOUR AIMED AT SOLVING RHODESIAN PROBLEM.

Record ID: 190223

  • Title: TANZANIA: BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY DR. DAVID OWEN HAS ENCOURAGING TALKS WITH PRESIDENT NYERERE ON FIRST LEG OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN TOUR AIMED AT SOLVING RHODESIAN PROBLEM.
  • Date: 12th April 1977
  • Summary: 1. GV Presidential Palace, Dar es Salaam with flag flying (2 shots) 0.16 2. SV Wall PAN DOWN TO Dr. David Owen on left and Tanzanian Foreign Minister Benjamin Mkapa walking down corridor 0.26 3. SV PAN Tanzanian and British delegations 0.35 4. SV President Nyerere entering room and shaking hands with Dr. Owen and members of British delegation 0.50 5. CU Emblem on wall hanging and President Nyerere seated at head of table talking (2 shots) 1.07 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Dr. Owen has described his proposal as the discussion at a forum which can be decided later -- probably a conference -- the steps necessary for an independent Zimbabwe in 1978. Dr. Owen arrived in South Africa on Tuesday (12 April) night after talks with another front line President, Samora Machel of Mozambique. Dr. Owen told reporters on his plane to South Africa that his talks with President Machel had also been encouraging. On Wednesday (13 April) the Foreign Secretary is due to have talks with President John Vorster of South Africa and Premier Ian Smith of Rhodesia. Initials BB/0200 EUROVISION TELERECORDING Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th April 1977 13:00
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  • Location: DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
  • Country: Tanzania
  • Reuters ID: LVA4ONSU40BS6RMRAK4GDC3JUV2P
  • Story Text: INTRODUCTION Britain's new Foreign Secretary Doctor David Owen had a mixed reception on the first step of his southern African tour in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam on Monday (11 April). Dr. Owen, whose mission is aimed at bringing about a settlement to the struggle over white minority ruled Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), first met Mr. Robert Mugabe, political leader of the largest guerrilla force in Rhodesia. Mr. Mugabe's Patriotic Front National Alliance issued a statement afterwards saying it remained of the firm opinion, that the Zimbabwe conflict could only be resolved on the battlefield. Dr. Owen admitted at a press conference afterwards that there had been a number of major differences between his delegation and Mr. Mugabe's.

    SYNOPSIS: Later on Monday in Dar es Salaam's Presidential palace Dr. Owen met Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, chairman of the committee of the five so called "front line" states with a border with Rhodesia. Dr. Owen -- here arriving with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Benjamin Mkapa for the meeting with President Nyerere -- said on of the major disagreements in his talks with Mr. Mugabe was that Mr. Mugabe wanted only the nationalists involved in fighting the guerrilla war to be included in discussions on Rhodesia.

    But Dr. Owen said his two hours of talks with President Nyerere had gone well. He said President Nyerere had been very encouraging and he was hard pressed to find a single difference of opinion.

    President Nyerere's press secretary, Mr. Robert Mdee, later agreed that there had been no major differences. But the Tanzanian government newspaper the Daily News the following day said that Dr. Owen's idea for a conference was not new and bitter experience had shown that the Smith regime would not surrender at a conference what it had not lost in battle.
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