ABSTRACT

Prelude: Lusaka and Havana The Front-Line States saw the Commonwealth Summit Conference, to be held in Lusaka in the first week of August 1979, as the best opportunity to put their case to the Thatcher Government. During July they initiated intensive behind-the-scenes consultations with Commonwealth leaders. Although Front-Line officials say that no formal caucuses or meetings to concert strategy were held prior to Lusaka, their efforts to bring pressure on Mrs Thatcher to withhold recognition of the Muzorewa Government and to try again for an all-parties settlement showed signs of at least some prior coordination. They made use of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London to keep in cont inuous touch with all interested parties. On 31 July – the day before the Conference opened – Nigeria announced the nationalization of British Petroleum’s 20% share in BP-Shell Nigeria. While this move is said to have been taken on Nigeria’s own initiative, the Front-Line States had frequently told Nigeria that she was the only African state which could put economic pressure on Britain. Other pre-Lusaka initiatives included a personal message from Botswana’s President Khama to President Carter urging the US not to recognize Muzorewa, and a decision by President Machel of Mozambique (not a Commonwealth member) to send two official observers to the Lusaka Summit.