Reply #81: Toasts of the President and President .. of Zambia. April 19th, 1975 [View All]

[struggle4progress]

Toasts of the President and President Kenneth D. Kaunda of Zambia.
April 19th, 1975

... President Kaunda responded as follows: Mr. President, Mrs. Ford, brothers and sisters ...

What gives Zambia and Africa great cause for concern is, Mr. President, America's policy towards Africa--or is it the lack of it, which, of course, can mean the same thing ...

Mr. President, to build genuine peace in southern Africa, we must recognize with honesty the root causes of the existing conflict.

First, colonialism in Rhodesia and Namibia--the existence of a rebel regime in Rhodesia has since compounded that problem. Second, apartheid and racial domination in South Africa ...

To achieve our aim, we need America's total commitment, total commitment to action consistent with that aim. So far, American policy, let alone action, has been low-keyed. This has given psychological comfort to the forces of evil ...

Can America still end only with declarations of support for the principles of freedom and racial justice? This, I submit, Mr. President, would not be enough ...

If we want peace, we must end the era of inertia in Rhodesia and in Namibia and vigorously work for ending apartheid. America must now be in the vanguard of democratic revolution in southern Africa. This is not the first time we make this appeal. It is Africa's constant plea ...

Our declaration to give high priority to peaceful methods to resolve the current crisis is a conscious decision--a conscious decision. We feel it to be our moral duty to avoid bloodshed where we can.

We are determined to fulfill this obligation but, Mr. President, not at any price--not at any price; not at the price of freedom and justice. There we say no. No ...

We call upon America to support our efforts in achieving majority rule in Rhodesia and Namibia immediately and the ending of apartheid in South Africa. If we are committed to peace, then let us join hands in building peace by removing factors underlying the current crisis ...

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=4851

This plea, of course, fell upon deaf ears. Ford was committed to the use of Africa for resource extraction ...