IAN SMITH SPEAKING AT PRESS CONFERENCE. (SOF).



TRANSCRIPT: SMITH: "I BELIEVE WE WOULD MAKE THIS STAND ON (INDISTINCT) PRINCIPLES EVEN IT MEANT WE WERE GOING TO LOSE ALL THE SUPPORT WHICH WE HAVE FROM THE COUNTRY TODAY. HOWEVER, I'M VERY HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT THE POSITION IS QUITE THE OPPOSITE. AS YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE LEFT THE PARTY. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN GIVEN A NAME OF ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEPARTED I HAVE BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF. THEY ARE INDEED AN EMBARRASSMENT TO US. I THINK THERE ARE (INDISTINCT) THE PARTY WHO DO NOT HONESTLY BELIEVE IN THE PRINCIPLES THAT WE STAND FOR, AND I WOULD SAY TO THEM IN ALL HONESTLY THEY SHOULD GO AS WELL. THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY DECENT THING TO DO."



SMITH: "MY OWN POLICY AND THE POLICY OF MY GOVERNMENT IS THE SAME NOW AFTER THE CONGRESS AS IT WAS BEFORE -- WE HAVEN'T CHANGED. WE'RE NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE. IF THE RHODESIAN FRONT WISHES TO CHANGE THEIR POLICY. AS FAR AS PRINCIPLES ARE CONCERNED I MIGHT SAY, THEN THEY WILL GO ALONG WITHOUT ME, AND I THINK WITHOUT MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL. BECAUSE WE'VE (INDISTINCT) WITH PRINCIPLE. SO THERE'D BE NO DIFFERENT BASIS OF NEGOTIATION WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT NOW. IT WOULD BE THE SAME AS IT WAS BEFORE. I'M PERFECTLY SATISFIED THAT MR WILSON IS WELL AWARE OF THIS. THE OFFER HAS BEEN MADE. IF HE WISHES TO TALK, I'D BE VERY HAPPY AND I'LL TALK TO HIM. BUT OF COURSE WE WILL NOT DEVIATE FROM OUR PRINCIPLES."




Initials RM/VS/JF/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE LEADER OF THE RHODESIAN REGIME, MR IAN SMITH, TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE IN SALISBURY YESTERDAY (SATURDAY) THAT NEWS OF RIGHT-WING DEFECTIONS FROM THE RULING RHODESIAN FRONT PARTY HAS CAUSED HIM TO "BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF". HOWEVER, MR SMITH SHOWED NO SIGHS DURING THE CONFERENCE OF BACKING DOWN FROM HIS STAND OF MAINTAINING WHITE MINORITY RULE IN RHODESIA.

MR SMITH WAS MAKING HIS FIRST PUBLIC STATEMENT SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE CURRENT RIGHT-WING REBELLION IN THE RHODESIAN FRONT OVER HIS PLAN FOR A NEW CONSTITUTION FOR THE COUNTRY...

MR SMITH THEN ANSWERED QUESTIONS PUT TO HIM BY THE ASSEMBLED PRESSMEN, INCLUDING ONE ABOUT ANY CHANGE IN THE ATTITUDE OF HIS REGIME ABOUT WHITE RULE IN RHODESIA...