Word: muzorewa
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...return to England, Whitehall sources say, Thatcher decided against recognizing Muzorewa's regime until the Zimbabwe Rhodesia constitution was amended to an extent that made it internationally acceptable. Specifically, that would include loosening the white grip on power and increased promotion for blacks in the armed forces and civil service, plus the departure of Ian Smith from the political arena. Thatcher's decision was based on a report by her special envoy to Africa, Lord Harlech, that Britain's recognition of Zimbabwe Rhodesia under the present circumstances would not be supported by a single African country...
...Muzorewa's hopes of winning prompt international recognition received a setback last week: sources close to Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher revealed that she has modified her earlier view that Britain should quickly lift economic sanctions against Zimbabwe Rhodesia. During a brief visit to Australia, Thatcher said that she expected the House of Commons would simply not renew the sanctions when they expire in November. She added: "The question of recognition is a slightly wider problem and could take just a little longer...
Even if he moves to revise the constitution, Muzorewa's chances of survival are problematic. Any such move is certain to meet with strong resistance from Rhodesian whites, who still control the country's economic and military apparatus. Moreover, any constitutional changes will have to win the favor of black African nations, particularly the five so-called frontline states (Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia). The frontline Presidents told Lord Harlech that they will withhold support for Muzorewa until they are assured that the proposed reforms will be acceptable to the Patriotic Front. Chances of such acceptance...
Another condition for African support, Harlech informed Thatcher, was that Muzorewa must prove himself an independent black leader, not a mere puppet of the white establishment. His chances of doing so were drastically diminished by the June 26 raids on guerrilla bases near the Zambian capital of Lusaka, in which 20 people were killed by helicopter-borne Rhodesian commandos. Approved by Muzorewa, the raids have been widely interpreted by black African leaders as a sign that the bishop was tilting away from them and toward the white power bloc in southern Africa. Under the circumstances, there is a chance that...
State Department and CIA analysts in Washington say that it is premature to attempt a serious evaluation of Muzorewa's performance at this point; but they generally reject charges that the bishop is a prisoner of the white majority establishment. British officials are similarly cautious in appraising Muzorewa's programs. Whitehall analysts feel that he has grown in stature since becoming Prime Minister, but fear that he has been severely weakened by the recent parliamentary defections of Chikerema and his followers. Says a senior British official: "The situation in which Muzorewa finds himself would tax the ingenuity...