During the period since our arrival my delegation and I have taken the opportunity to reflect very deeply on the constitutional proposals placed before us by the British Government. We have also engaged in a very thorough discussion with the representatives of that Government and have received their views on the various questions we put to them.

The constitutional conference has been approached by our delegation with completely open and pragmatic minds. We have been guided and influenced purely by what is in the best interests of the 7,000,000 people of our nation, Black, White, Coloured and Asian. This always has been and is our total and unswerving commitment.

After the most careful scrutiny, we have noted that the constitutional proposals put to us by HM Government represent a sincere attempt on its part to reach agreement on an independence constitution which not only confirms to our democratic principles but also provides for the rights and aspirations of the majority of our people. At the same time, they can not contain reasonable safeguards for all our minorities.

Throughout the course of our negotiations with the British Government, the overriding motivating factor on our part has been what we came here to achieve, namely, the restoration of peace to our land and our people, the removal of sanctions imposed on the previous white minority rule Government and recognition.

We therefore, as a means of ensuring further progress the task ahead of us accepted the general principles of constitutional proposals submitted by the British Government . This acceptance is subject to the satisfactory working of the many details concerned with these proposals and the subsequent steps that will have to be taken. We believe that in the name of justice, honesty and fair play our co-operative and pragmatic approach will enable us and the British Government to proceed with the consideration of these details.

Finally, to the extent that our acceptance of the basic principles in the constitutional proposals put before by HM Government represents a major contribution towards finding a reasonable, just and internationally acceptable solution to our current problems, we now demand and it is our right to do so, that sanctions against us be lifted immediately, since they no longer since they no longer hold any validity.

The point is that since a minority Government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia has already been replaced by the installation of Black and popular majority rule, since we have now agreed in principle with the amendment of certain clauses in our constitution in accordance with the wishes of the British Government, there is no longer moral or legal grounds for the continuation of sanctions against our country by HM Government and the international community as a whole.