asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has sought any information on the validity and fairness of the recent election in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, if so, the manner in which the information was sought and the conclusions, if any, he has drawn therefrom.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Election.
21.
I have naturally been concerned to obtain as much information as possible about recent developments in Rhodesia through the channels available to us, in regular diplomatic contacts and in consultations with our partners in the Nine. In this regard, I have in particular seen a considerable number of reports on the constitutional arrangements and the elections by persons who have recently been in Rhodesia.
Although we are clearly not in a position to make a direct assessment, we concluded, in the light of the information available to us and of the views of all those concerned in Africa and elsewhere, as the Minister for Fisheries and Forestry said on my behalf in reply to Question No. 8 on 13 June last, that the elections held under constitutional arrangements introduced by the Smith regime could not form a satisfactory basis for the resolution of the conflict and for the accession of Zimbabwe to independence based on genuine majority rule. This was also in accordance with the declaration by the United Nations Security Council that the elections and their results were null and void.