‘Better Than Expected’

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31003, 8 March 1966, Page 17

‘Better Than Expected’

f.X Z P A -Reuter—Copyright) DURBAN. March 5.

The Rhodesian Prime Minister, Mr lan Smith, said in a newspaper interview that things had gone a great deal better for breakaway Rhodesia than expected.

Mr Smith told a South African paper, the “Durban Sunday Tribune,” that he hoped he would soon be able to tell Rhodesians “we have ridden out the storm " Mr Smith said Rhodesians had not yet felt the full force of sanctions and he warned that they would have to stiffen themselves for still further belt-tightening. "But things have gone a lot better than we expected. I don't want to stick my neck

out too soon, I don’t want to say that we have won the battle already, but I think we are getting very near to the point where I can report that we are over the hump,” he said.

Mr Smith also said he had no complaint about the manner in which the South African Government had acted in the Rhodesian crisis. They had been “meticulously correct and had they acted in any other way it I could not only have embarrassed South Africa, but Rhodesia as well,” Mr Smith said. Mr Smith said Rhodesia was surprised at the attitude taken by the United States. If America were to give a lead away from sanctions, this would be the most significant way of stopping what was happening now. he said. Asked what sort of conditions he would consider fitt-

ing for reopening of talks with Britain he said he had laid down no pre-conditions. “1 don’t want to be unkind, but the only thing now standing in the way of open talks is the obstinate attitude of the British Prime Minister himself.”

Mr Smith said: “He appears to be the only man in the world who doesn’t want to talk to me. And if he won’t talk, we won’t get much further in solving Anglo-Rhodes-ian relationships.”