In considering the policies to be adopted after the publication of the Pearce Commission Report, it is vital to remember our objective in relation to Southern Rhodesia. That objective is now, as it has always been, the attainment of independence for Zimbabwe on the basis of majority rule, and under conditions which allow the development of human dignity for all citizens, and of equality between them all.
That is the goal for Tanzania, as for the people of Rhodesia themselves. Further, we would prefer and it is evident that they would prefer to attain this goal by peaceful means.
The prime responsibility in this struggle for self-determination for Zimbabwe rests with the people of that country. The role of Tanzania, as of other free African states, is to support the Zimbabwean people by whatever means are within our power, but never under any circumstances to try and control either their struggle or the decisions they make in relation to it. The question at issue is freedom for the people of Zimbabwe. It can only be won by them, and the shape It takes is for them to determine.