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IdiAmin
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CONFIDENTIAL
Question: President Amin had made some demands earlier.
Can you
comment on whether any agreement was reached on any of those requests?
Mr. Callaghan: Discussions between the President and myself are confidential
and will so remain as normal, between Ministers of different Governments.
Question: Is there any bar to giving spare parts or substantive aid to Uganda?
Mr. Callaghan: These are confidential matters between Governments. I would
like to just first of all express my thanks to President Amin. He has expressed a very
sincere desire for an improvement in relations between Uganda and Britain and
his action today foreshadows an improvement in those relations. That I have told
him, and he accepts it as I accept his desire that our relations should be improved.
On the question of the two persons who claimed to be British spies he has told me
that in the general amnesty they have been released and have now left Uganda.
On the question of the future of the British community in Uganda President
Amin has said that he would like them to remain and is very anxious and gJad to
have their assistance to his country. And I have told him that from my personal
conversations with them that those I have spoken to who are working here love the
people of Uganda and wish to stay here and work in security.
So I think this has been a good day's work. If we can improve Anglo-
Ugandan relations as a result of what has happened, as a result of the good start
we have made today, then that will be for the benefit of the British people as well
as for the benefit of the people of Uganda. I would like to express my thanks to
you all for your understanding during this period and for the assistance that you
have rendered to us all.
Questioned about the future of Mr. Hills' book " The White Pumpkin ", he.
said it was not for him to answer. " I do not censor books ".
Question: Are there any future talks planned?
Mr. Callaghan: Yes, there are future talks planned. They are at an official
level and we shall build on what has happened today and try to see what
accommodations we can come to.
Document No. 16
PRESS CONFERENCE AT HEATHROW AIRPORT, 10 JULY, 1975, ON
ARRIVAL FROM KAMPALA
Mr. Callaghan: We have brought him home safe and sound. That's the
main object of the mission and that's what we have done. It has been a long
ordeal for Mr. Hills—a three months' ordeal—since he was first arrested, a month
since the sentence was passed on him. And I think he needs to be spared a lot
of our intrusions at the present time. But he has as Tom McCaffrey said, kindly
agreed to answer a few questions and perhaps in a moment you will allow him
to say something and as you know his family are waiting and he will go with
them. I think what I would like to say is that President Mobutu of Zaire has
been a very great assistance in this matter. He kindly sent his Foreign Minister,
Mr. Bula, with me, from Zaire, from Kinshasa to Kampala and I there had
discussions with him and with the Foreign Minister and other Ministers in
President Amin's Government last night. We went on until one o'clock this morning
and then Mr. Bula went and saw President Amin and as you now know President
Amin agreed to release Mr. Hills into my care.
CONFIDENTIAL
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