CAB148-30-Defence and Oversea Policy Committee Meetings Relating to 1967 Disturbances-1967 — Page 247

6.

RHODESIA: OIL SANCTIONS

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The Committee had before then a memorandum by the Foreign Secretary (OPD(67) 63) containing proposals for further action to limit the supply

of oil to Rhodesia through Mozambique.

THE FOREIGN SECRETARY said that imports of oil into Rhodesia had

recently been running at an annual rate of 280,000 tons. Most of this

oil entered Rhodesia from Mozambique, being either supplied directly

from the Mozambique Refinery or imported by Portuguese companies in Mozambique. As long as Rhodesia continued to obtain oil at this rate,

and we were seen to be unable to prevent or even limit the supply, we ran the risk of renewed demands at the United Nations (UN) for stronger

measures against Rhodesia which might well include a demand for measures

of economic coercion against both Mozambique and South Africa. Our only

chance of averting such action at the UN lay in securing at least a

reduction in the supply of oil through Mozambique without its replacement

from any other source. Direct approaches to Portugal to limit supply

We had

The main

had proved fruitless; the most that the Portuguese had indicated was

that, if imports of oil into Mozambique were rationed through

international action, Mozambique would keep the reduced supplies for

her own use and limit supply to Rhodesia correspondingly.

therefore explored the possibility of a rationing scheme.

source of supply of oil entering Mozambique was the French Compagnie Francaise de Petrol Company. Attempts to perwuade France to co-operate

in preparing a rationing scheme had so far had no success. We had also

represented to the South Africans the wider dangers of continued

Portuguese defiance of the UN mandatory sanctions against Rhodesia, and

at our request the South African Foreign Minister, Dr. Muller, had

pressed this view on the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Dr. Nogueira,

during his visit to South Africa, but with what result we did not yet

know.

Against this background our best course was to continue with our

diplomatic action to seek to obtain a cessation or reduction of oil

supply from Mozambique into Rhodesia and to warn the South Africans of

the serious consequences if, in the event of reduction of supply from

Mozambique, the short fall were made good from South African sources.

It was however necessary to look beyond these diplomatic initiatives to

the possibility of demands at the UN for further action to prevent the supply of oil to Rhodesia. Here it must be our aim to ensure that any UN resolution was limited to supply by Mozambique, coupled if necessary

with further measures against Rhodesia such as additional mandatory

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