The agreement would entail the dissolution of Zimbabwe`s unrec recognition state, Rhodesia, established months earlier by the domestic regime; an agreement between moderate black nationalists and the government of Prime Minister Ian Smith. While Zimbabwe`s Rhodesia was not recognised, the Internal Settlement allowed the majority of blacks (so far the main British claim) and led to the election of the country`s first black prime minister. Mugabe argues that the country remains a problem because of the restrictions imposed by the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement to end white rule in former Rhodesia and Britain`s betrayal of the promises it made to secure a deal. Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo led the delegation of liberation fighters to the talks. From the beginning, Nkomo declared that the return of the country to the majority was central to his cause: “What will be the future of the land of the people?” he asked the British. Another dimension of the Prime Minister`s reconciliation policy was the request to Lord Soames, who managed the country during the three-month transition period, to lead the country with him until independence. As part of a gentlemen`s agreement, Lord Soames remained governor until 18 April 1980, when the Union Jack of the Zimbabwean flag broke up. The answer is that when Britain embarks on an adventure inside the country, it must face, like other explorers, the dangers they will come. It will be able to seek the help of neighbouring countries that have insisted on and contributed to the establishment of a regulation. As with any act of decolonization, what happens after can be planned and monitored, but never controlled. (An impressive contribution of Mr.
Nkomo to this conference was his insistence on a series of agreements that would work, not a sentence that, once on paper, could be discarded.) Therefore, although the British governor controls everything that controls, he will not be able to run the country like a two-month dictatorship. Zimbabweans, black and white, will still have the power to break the deal on the ground. Lord Carrington, UK Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, chaired the conference. [1] The conference was held from 10 September to 15 December 1979 with 47 plenary sessions. During its deliberations, the conference reached agreement on the following issues: President Kaunda of Zambia would have had a great influence on this outcome, although no compromise formula from this district seems to have survived anywhere in the final agreement. It is probably closer to the truth that President Kaunda, like almost all other parties closely involved, is keen on an all-party settlement and has recognised Lancaster House as the last chance to preserve it. In this case, has there ever been a probability of a “second-class solution”: an agreement between Britain and Bishop Muzoreva alone? Such a solution would likely have satisfied the Lusaka requirements of the Commonwealth heads of government, as the protocol would have shown that Britain had tried the first-class solution and failed. . . .