British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher will undertake a tour of Four African states, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Botswana. Her tour is significant for the following reasons, it follows in the wake of important diplomatic movement, it builds upon personal contacts and progress made during the November 1988 visit by Mrs Lynda Chalker, it has to be viewed against the backdrop of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kuala Lumpur later this year, it aims to strengthen growing economic links between the United Kingdom and the Southern African development Coordinating Conference (SADCC)and it serves as a signal to Pretoria that the United Kingdom has legitimate interests in Southern Africa. The real significance of these visits lies in the cementing and expansion of British regional interests, which in this region coincide with Commonwealth interests.
