242. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter1
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Zimbabwe.]
2. OAU Summit—The OAU Summit2 ended today with the passage of a resolution recognizing the Patriotic Front as the “sole legitimate and authentic representative” of the people of Zimbabwe.3 The resolution also equates the lifting of sanctions against Rhodesia with recognition of the Muzorewa government, and calls upon member states to apply sanctions against any state which recognizes the Muzorewa government or lifts sanctions against it.4 Apparently only the Ivory Coast and Zaire entered reservations.
Several African representatives at the meeting have commented that the resolution should not be viewed as inconsistent with further negotiations between the Patriotic Front and the Muzorewa government. Many supported the resolution primarily as a means of halting [Page 712] what they consider the “creeping recognition” of the internal settlement by the UK and US.
3. Visas for Rhodesians—We are receiving an increasing number of requests for visas from Rhodesians, both within and supporters of the Muzorewa government. I have instructed that we should consider each request on a case-by-case basis, while generally giving more sympathetic consideration to those who carry non-Rhodesian travel documents, such as UK passports.
[Omitted here is material unrelated to Zimbabwe.]
- Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 29, Implementation of Presidential Instructions: 9–10/79. Secret. Carter initialed the memorandum and in the upper right-hand corner wrote: “Cy.”↩
- The OAU summit was held in Monrovia, Liberia, July 17–21.↩
- For a summary of the resolution, see Keesing’s Contemporary Archives, 1979, pp. 29841–29842.↩
- Carter wrote in the left-hand margin: “I’ve noticed that Muzorewa has a poor memory & a vivid imagination re his U.S. talks.”↩