SMITH WITH INTERVIEWERS: SMITH SPEAKS (SOF).



TRANSCRIPT:



QUESTION: "MR. PRIME MINISTER - PERHAPS I MIGHT PUT THE FIRST QUESTION TO YOU. WHAT IMPORTANT DO YOU ATTACH TO THE COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS' CONFERENCE?"



SMITH: "I THINK VERY FEW PEOPLE WOULD DISAGREE WITH ME WHEN I SAY THAT OVER THE POST-WAR YEARS THE RESPECT WHICH THIS ORGANISATION HAS HAD DIMINISHED. I THINK THAT'S PUTTING IT MILDLY. AND WHEN YOU GET PEOPLE AT A CONFERENCE PASSING RESOLUTIONS WHICH THEY CANNOT IMPLEMENT AND BREAKING THE FUNDAMENTAL RULES THAT HAVE APPLIED IN THE PAST SUCH AS THE RULE THAT THEY SHOULD REFRAIN FROM INTERFERING IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF SOME OF THE FELLOW MEMBER COUNTRIES, THEN IT IS NOT SURPRISING AND I AM SORRY TO HAVE TO SAY THAT I DON'T BELIEVE THEIR PRESTIGE IS VERY HIGH TODAY AND ACCORDINGLY I DON'T THINK MUCH ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO WHAT TAKES PLACE - SAD TO SAY."



QUESTION: "MR. PRIME MINISTER, IN VIEW OF THAT, DOES MR. ENOCH POWELL'S SUGGESTION THAT RHODESIA SHOULD BECOME A REPUBLIC OUTSIDE THE COMMONWEALTH SEEM A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO YOU?" (MR. POWELL IS A BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT).



SMITH: "I THINK THERE IS PROBABLY MORE IN THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE, ACTUALLY. I THINK MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO REALISE THAT EVEN IF WE WERE TO COME TO AN ACCOMMODATION WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OVER OUR PRESENT IMPASSE THAT THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE OUTSIDE THE COMMONWEALTH AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A VIEW WHICH IS HELD EVEN BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TODAY. THERE MAY BE MORE IN THIS THAN MEETS THE EYE AT FIRST SIGH."



QUESTION: "AS A QUICK SUPPLEMENTARY TO THAT, MAY I ASK IN WHAT POSITION WOULD THE QUEEN BE THEN. WOULD SHE STILL BE HEAD OF STATE?"



SMITH: "WELL, IF WE BECOME A REPUBLIC THEN THIS COULD NOT BE THE POSITION. I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO FACE UP TO THIS AND MUCH AS MANY RHODESIANS, PARTICULARLY THE OLDER LOYALISTS, WOULD REGRET THIS I THINK WE'VE JUST GOT TO FACE UP TO THE REALITIES OF LIFE AND I REPEAT, KNOWING THE COMPOSITION OF THE PRESENT COMMONWEALTH AND KNOWING THAT WE CAN ONLY BE MEMBERS OF THE CLUB WITH THEIR CONCURRENCE, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN EARTHLY CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING. WHAT WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR IS AN AGREEMENT WITH BRITAIN WHICH WILL BRING SANCTIONS TO AN END. WE ARE SATISFIED THAT WE HAVE INDEPENDENCE AND WE ARE SATISFIED ABOUT THE LEGALITY NOW. THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, AS YOU WILL HAVE NOTICED RECENTLY IN THE PRESS, WHO ALSO CONCEDE THAT WE ARE INDEPENDENT. THE VERY FACT THAT THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER IS PREPARED TO TALK TO ME A THE LEADER OF THIS COUNTRY WOULD INDICATE THIS. SO THE QUESTION OF INDEPENDENCE I THINK WE CAN MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. IT'S CESSATION OF SANCTIONS."



QUESTION: "IT'S A QUESTION OF A SORT OF TRADE AGREEMENT THEN?"



SMITH: "I THINK PERHAPS YOU CAN INTERPRET IT THAT WAY."




Initials GHB/V/CCT/SS


EDITORS NOTE: THIS STORY IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 191 HOURS G.M.T. JANUARY 7 1969

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: RHODESIAN LEADER MR. IAN SMITH, GIVING A RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE IN SALISBURY, SAID HE THOUGHT THE POWERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS (MEETING THIS WEEK IN LONDON) WERE DIMINISHING. HE ALSO DISCUSSED THE LATEST SITUATION WITH REGARD TO A POSSIBLE SETTLEMENT OF THE INDEPENDENCE ISSUE WITH BRITAIN.

MR. SMITH WAS ASKED (SOF STARTS)