Mrs Thatcher spoke of her happiness over what had been achieved at the conference:
THATCHER
Well, I think the thing that's been most striking is the real will on the part of most countries present at the conference to achieve a settlement. It was very positive right from the start, that they were all anxious to have a democratic settlement. They were prepared to get down to the problem. They all realised that we couldn't get a satisfactory settlement unless it also got an end to the war, and it was a whole positive aspect throughout.
Mrs Thatcher said that what they had decided so far was good news for Rhodesia and those who wanted to make their permanent home there, it was good news for the Commonwealth because they'd been able to agree so harmoniously, and it was good news for Bishop Muzorewa and all those who wanted to solve the problem by the ballot box. [end p1]
(2) Thatcher Archive: transcript:PROGRAMME PRESENTER
… as she told our Southern Africa correspondent David McNeil, in a lengthy interview there had been a determination from the start to try to reach a democratic settlement:-
PRIME MINISTER
Everyone felt that there is a new situation in Rhodesia because of the recent elections, and if we didn't seize the opportunity now to get an agreement at this Commonwealth Conference it might go forever. So that gave a kind of urgency to the problem. And if you look at the communique you'll find it very very balanced and I feel much happier about it because what had worried me so much was if you just went for recognition how in the world were you to stop the war, what was the point of recognising a country if war was going to go on, if the white farmers who'd made their lives there were going to leave, the black Rhodesians as well as the white were going to go on being killed at the rate of 500 a week and that would have led to the collapse of Government, what good would that have done for Rhodesia? This is what bothered me, but it bothered other people too and they wanted to solve it. We're all satisfied, I think, that what we've decided so is good news for Rhodesia and all those who want to make their permanent home in Rhodesia. It's good news for Bishop Muzorewa and all those who want to solve the problem by the ballot box and it's good news for the Commonwealth that we've been able to agree so harmoniously.
INTERVIEWER
There is one point in the agreement where it talks about a major objective being to bring about a ceasefire and an end to sanctions. Now there's no specific mention of the timetable, is it a question of having a settlement first and then having a ceasefire and an end to sanctions or has that not been worked out yet? [end p2]
PRIME MINISTER
We leave here on Wednesday night to arrive in London on Thursday and I've already called a Cabinet for the day after I get back, that just gives some urgency with which we're tackling it. We're going to go ahead with proposals and we'll get agreement of Cabinet for those proposals. Then one hopes very shortly to get all of the Parties together according to what Cabinet decides. I can't give you a precise timetable. I can say that the very first thing is to get agreement on a constitution. And, as you know, the enormous criticism of this constitution is that there is a sort of blocking mechanism against any changes in the constitution they've got at the moment which is unlike anything we've ever given to any other Commonwealth country. So that's one of the problems. And there are also some conditions which mean that the Prime Minister can't appoint whom he likes to be Ministers in the Cabinet nor even, for example, a Cabinet Secretary. Now those have been highly criticised and I think those criticisms are valid. So the first thing we've got to do therefore is get agreement on the constitution. Now how long will it take—I don't know. Peter Carrington would naturally be in the chair as Foreign Secretary and he's highly skilled and if there's the will to go ahead we'll get it within a reasonable time. Then you have to go on and talk about the other things. But it's obvious that the moment we're within sight of agreement we really do think that the hostilities should stop and the encouraging thing about the communique is so do all the African countries as well. Because we must go forward then to elections without hostilities.
INTERVIEWER
Is this what you mean when you say that for Bishop Muzorewa this should be good news, that for the people of Rhodesia that an end to the hostilities might have been brought closer by the discussion you've had here? [end p3]
PRIME MINISTER
Oh very much so, very much so. What do the black Rhodesians and the white Rhodesian farmers and the white people who've spent their lives there most of all want. They want to carry on their lives there, building them up in an atmosphere of peace and stability. Now that is possible of attainment and we have the whole Commonwealth behind us in urging us to go forward for that and in giving us their support. You know I'm cautious by nature, so many other Prime Ministers have had a go and haven't been able to pull it off. We've got a chance, we're all determined to take it and it's good news for all Rhodesians and for those who believe that we find a solution by the ballot box and not by the bullet.