action would be the pressure point that would bring aboutnegotiations. Threatened by the formation of the new patriotic front supported by the frontline states, Ian smith attempted to avoidmilitary confrontation by initiating mediated talks with the more peacefully-inclined Musarawa. Richards Owens fromEngland, and Andrew Young from the United States attempted negotiations, but did not get a settlement because ofthe political disunity within Zimbabwe.In addition to the pressure coming from the frontline states, other international pressure was brought to bear as well.There was a great deal of economic pressure in the form of economic sanctions from around the world--that was themain UN approach. Though less important than the pressure coming from the frontline states, the sanctions didestablish the conditions under which negotiation could occur.Conda, the president of Zambia, was one of the major external mediators. For instance, he worked with Ian Smith toget the black leadership out of prison so they could negotiate with them. Another important mediator was Niyera ofTanzania who, along with Conda, enabled the black leadership in Zimbabwe to come together to negotiate as aunified team with the whites. Obtaining such a unified front was essential to successful negotiations as it allowed bothsides equal power at the table, a critical element in all successful negotiations. Conda and Niyera had an agenda in thefacilitation of the negotiations--self-interest plays a predominant role in every negotiation. They saw the need forRhodesia to become Zimbabwe for their own futures. Not only did they identify with the black movement againstcolonialism, but they also realized the consequences of the economic forces involved in this situation. The movement to develop an alliance between the soft black front of Musarawa and the harder one of Mugabe andNucomo, attempted by Ian Smith, eventually brought about an internal kind of settlement to the issu...
