UNITEDNATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL RECORDS THIRTY-THIRD YEAR 2068MEETING: 15 MARCH 1978 NEW YORK CONTENTS Pwf Provisional agenda (S/Agenda/2068) . , . , . Adoption of the agenda . , . , . 1 Complaint by Zambia: Letter dated 9 March 1978 from the Permanent Representative of Zambia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/12589) . , . , . 1 SjPV.2068 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. Documents of the Security Council (symbol S/. , .) are normally published in quarterly Supplements of the Official Records of the Security Council. The date of the document indicates the supplement in which it appears or in which information about it is given. The resolutions of the Security Council, numbered in accordance with a system adopted in 1964, are published in yearly volumes of Resolutions’and Decisions of the Security Council. The new system, which has been applied retroactively to resolutions adopted before 1 January 1965, became fully operative on that date. 2068th MEETING Held in New York on Wednesday, 15 March 1978, at 3.30 p,m. President: Mr. Ivor RICHARD 3. The PRESIDENT: The Security Council will now begin (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). its consideration of the question on its agenda in response to the request by the Government of Zambia [S/12589]. I Present: The representatives of the following States: should like also to draw the attention of members of the Bolivia, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Gabon, Council to documents S/12593, S/12594 and S/12595. Germany, Federal Republic of, India, Kuwait, Mauritius, Nigeria, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United King- 4. The first speaker is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States Zambia. I welcome him and invite him to make his of America, Venezuela. statement. 5. Mr. MWALE (Zambia): Mr. President, on behalf of my Provisional agenda (S/Ageuda/ZOiS) delegation, I wish to convey our gratitude to you and all the members of the Council for having acceded to our 1. Adoption of the agenda request for this meeting, to consider the latest in a series of acts of aggression perpetrated against my country by the 2. Complaint by Zambia: racist minority regime in Southern Rhodesia. I take this Letter dated 9 March 1978 from the Permanent opportunity. also to add my own words of congratulations Representative of Zambia to the United Nations to you upon your assumption of the office of President of addressed to the President of the Security Council the Council for the month of March. It is fitting that this (S/12589) question of aggression against my country by the rebels in your colony should be taken up by the Council under the The meeting ws called to order at 4.20 p.m. presidency of the colonial Power, represented in the person of none other than you, who are intimately familiar with Adoption of the agenda the Rhodesian question. My delegation in particular recalls your chairmanship of the abortive Geneva conference on Xke agenda K.USadopted. Southern Rhodesia. My country has also received you and other members of the Anglo-American team in the course of your shuttle missions in southern Africa. Complaint by Zambia: Letter dated 9 March 1978 from the Permanent Repre- 6. Permit me to record the sincere gratitude of the Party, sentative of Zambia to the United Nations addressed to Government and people of the Republic of Zambia for the the President of the Security Council (S/12589) deep commitment and untiring efforts of the Secretary- General, Mr. Waldheim, towards the search for a lasting 1. The PRESIDENT: I should like to inform members of solution to the problems of southern Africa. the Council that I have received letters from the repre- sentativ,es of Botswana, Cuba, Egypt, Mozambique, the 7. The Security Council has just concluded its considera- United Republic of Tanzania, the Upper Volta and Zambia tion of the question of Southern Rhodesia, pursuant to a In which they request to be invited to participate in the request by the African Group. Zambia, together with other discussion. freedom-loving and peace-loving States, firmly maintains that the prevailing situation in the rebel British colony of 2. In accordance with the usual practice, I propose, with Southern Rhodesia constitutes a grave threat not only to the consent of the Council, to invite those representatives the peace and security of our region but also to jnterna- to participate in the discussion without the right to vote, in tional peace and security. conformity with rule 37 of the provisional rules of procedure. 8. The continued existence of the illegal racist regime in Southern Rhodesia, a regime religiously committed to the At the invitation of the President, Mr. Mwale (Zambia) maintenance of an irrational and unjust system, constitutes took a place at the Council table and Mr. Tlou (Botswana), the root cause of the Rhodesian problem. As my President, Mr. Alarcbn (Cuba), Mr. Abdel Meguid (Egypt), Mr. Lob0 Mr. Kenneth Kaunda, has consistently warned, unless this (Mozambique), Mr0 Wina (United Republic of Tanzania) root cause of the problem is expeditiously eliminated, and Mr. Bar&a (Upper Volta) took the places reserved for prospects of averting a generalized conflict engulfing the them at the side of the Council chamber. entire region are bound to recede irreversibly. The recent I retrogressive developments, such as the so-called internal 15. It is quite evident from the marking identified on the settlement agreement, and the continued wanton acts of rebel military aircraft shot down by our security forces, as aggression perpetrated by the illegal rdgime against Bot- well as from other captured Rhodesianweaponry, that the swana, Mozambique and Zambia serve not to delay but to latest attack was carried out with external assistance.For advance the advent of such a holocaust. It is this basic and instance, my Government has evidence of ‘Sduth African constant concern-together with its implications, too ghast- military involvement in the invasion. In the light of ,this ly to speculate upon-which has once again prompted my evidence, my Government has already requested certain Government to requestan urgent meeting of the Council to Governments having embassiesat Lusaka to provide infor- consider the recent premeditated and unprovoked acts of mation as to how some of their weaponry found itself in aggressioncommitted againstmy country by forces of the the hands of the rebel Rhodesianforces. The Government illegal racist r&me of Southern Rhodesia. of the Republic of Zambia, and no doubt other membersof the international community, would welcome such infor- 9. Let me now turn to the specific barbaric act of mation as it would have a direct bearing on the United aggressionperpetrated against -my country by the rebel Nations mandatory sanctions policy against the rebel forces of Ian Smith from 6 to 8 March last. colony of Southern Rhodesia. Such information would further assistin determining the extent to which the illegal 10. It is now known that the enemy crossedthe border r&&me would enjoy external military assistancein the event into Zambia with 200 commandosusing some 10 fighter of a generalized conflagration in our region, a conflagration aircraft and seven helicopters of the United States- in regard to which my country has repeatedly voiced its manufactured Chinook type and size, which carry up to 60 concern. fully armedparatroopers each. 16. The attack of 6 March was but the latest in a seriesof 11. On the day of the attack, 6 March, at 0945 hours, two offensive operations against Zambia carried out by the bombs were dropped in Luangwa (Feira) District by two Rhodesian rebels. For instance, late last year Rhodesian jets flying at low altitude. We believe that by that attack it jet-fighters droppednapalm bombs on Luangwa, the are,aof was intended to blow up the two water tanks, which the the recent invasion, causinga number of casualtiesamong enemy erroneously suspectedto contain fuel, as a diver- our defence force personnel. sionary measureto draw the attention of our troops and Air Defence Unit away from the Kavalamanjaarea, which 17. Rebel Rhodesian forces and their allies have re- was the main target. Simultaneously a group of fighter peatedly launched premeditated flagrant attacks against aircraft was heard circulating over the district to intercept Zambia along its entire border with Southern Rhodesia. the movement of people along the roads likely to be used They have constantly violated Zambian airspace and for reinforcement. Zambia’s territorial integrity, persistently harassedinnocent villagers and incessantly provoked our troops in the area, 12. At 1000 hours, the enemy attacked Kavalamanjausing They have mounted widespreadair reconnaissancemissions 10 aircraft to bomb the area and also to provide cover to over Zambia aimed at identifying targets for subsequent the helicopter-borne paratrooperswhe were jumping from raids. On numerous occasions, forces of the minority the helicopters. The jets were also used to disorganizeany rdgimes have landed troops on Zambian soil, leaving them resistancefrom our ground troops who were intercepting there to scan Zambian territory and lay ambushesand rebel Rhodesianparatroopers as they descendedfrom the land-mines. Mine warfare and the harassmentof villagers in helicopters. A combination of action by the Air Defence border areasare common occurrences.Rebel troops have Unit and our ground forces resultedin the shootingdown crossed over and attacked and destroyed villages along the of four jets, one Beaver aircraft and three helicopters.It is border suspected of being bases for freedom fighters. known that a total of eight enemy aircratt were destroyed Sporadic firing on Zambian positions along the border by our gallant forces.