Rhodesia (Hansard, 31 October 1979)

§ 9. Mr. Hal Miller
asked the Lord Privy Seal what are the current arrangements governing trade with Rhodesia.

§ 11. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on Rhodesia.

§ 13. Mr. Brocklebank-Fowler
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on Rhodesia.

§ 14. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about Rhodesia.

§ Sir Ian Gilmour
In view of what you said a few moments ago, Mr. Speaker, I hope that it will be for the convenience of the House if I answer this question together with question Nos. 11, 13 and 14.
For the time being, sanctions remain in force. But, as I told the House on 24 October, it is our objective to get rid of sanctions as soon as possible. I gave a full account of the progress of the constitutional conference at Lancaster House to this House on 24 October. I am pleased to announce that Bishop Muzorewa announced on 27 October his acceptance of the British proposals for the pre-independence period. The discussions on the interim period are continuing, and it is our hope that the Patriotic Front will also agree to our proposals in the near future.

Several Hon. Members
rose—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I propose to call first those hon. Members whose questions are being answered.

§ Mr. Miller
Can my right hon. Friend confirm the date when sanctions come to an end under the present order? Can he further tell us when United Nations sanctions will end without renewal, and what steps will be necessary to amend that should, in his judgment, conditions be such that British sanctions could be lifted?

§ Sir I. Gilmour
The sanctions under section 2 of the 1965 Act would come to an end on 15 November if they were not renewed. Other sanctions that do not depend upon section 2 would continue unless they were brought to an end. The United Nations sanctions continue, but, since we took the matter to the United Nations, we presume that when we lift sanctions the United Nations will follow.

§ Mr. Townsend
Since the Government do not wish the United Nations to send observers to the elections, and as we shall need the support of the United Nations Security Council to lift mandatory sanctions and obtain international recognition of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, what special arrangements are the Government making to keep the Secretary-General of the United Nations informed of developments during those elections?

§ Sir I. Gilmour
As my hon. Friend knows, the Secretary-General has been over here. We have our representatives in the United Nations, and many other countries are also interested in this matter. My hon. Friend can take it that the United Nations will remain fully informed of what is going on.

§ Mr. Brocklebank-Fowler
Will my right hon. Friend tell the House what proposals, if any, the Government have put forward for the control of the guerrilla forces belonging to the Patriotic Front during the period following a settlement, when Zimbabwe would be under the direct rule of the British Government?

§ Sir I. Gilmour
As my hon. Friend knows, we are at present discussing the interim arrangements. Once we reach agreement on those, we shall discuss the ceasefire arrangements next week. However, it is important to proceed step by 1215 step, and we have not yet come to the ceasefire period.

§ Mr. Bennett
Can the Lord Privy Seal confirm that the statutory instrument under which he gave immunity to the rebels from Rhodesia to attend the conference ran out last week and that he has now had to lay a further order? What procedures will he adopt to ensure that the House has the opportunity to scrutinise that order, or does he intend to cheat the House, as his officials suggested yesterday to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.

§ Sir I. Gilmour
Our information is that the order did not run out last week. It is a matter of ambiguity whether it runs out this week. It is all a question whether when the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords is sitting that counts as a sitting day of Parliament. That is a matter upon which I would hesitate to pronounce. However, I assure the hon. Gentleman that we do not intend to cheat the House.

§ Mr. Shore
If the elections are to be tree and fair, which I believe is the wish of everyone involved in this dispute, and if the ballot is to replace the bullet, does the Minister agree that it is essential that the armed forces on both sides are not exercising, or seen to be exercising, a coercive presence in Zimbabwe during the election period? Does he also agree that it is essential that there should be adequate time for the preparations for the election? If that is so, will he consider again the two-month period, which I believe, as do most people who have looked at this seriously, is too short a time for sensible and serious political organisation, particularly of those who have been excluded by exile from Zimbabwe politics for a number of years?
Does the right hon. Gentleman further agree that Commonwealth observers could do much more to help build up confidence in the validity and impartiality of the election process if they were given a more serious job to do than simply witnessing the ballot box operation? In these closing stages of the negotiations, will the Minister please show some flexibility instead of being so stiff-necked as he appears to be now?

§ Sir I. Gilmour
I do not accept the right hon. Gentleman's allegation that we 1216 have been stiff-necked. Far from it. It is our intention that, provided there is a ceasefire, law and order should be preserved by the police acting under the British Government and with British police advisers.
On the question of the length of the election campaign, everyone has his own views. We believe that the parties must have sufficient time to state their case to the electorate. But, as everyone in the House knows, electioneering is a throughly divisive activity which will put the ceasefire under strain. We think that a period of two months from the time the ceasefire takes effect is ample time for the parties to put their case to the electorate.
The question of Commonwealth observers will come up again next week. They have an important part to play, but I do not want to add anything further at this stage.