Margaret Thatcher senior member of the party and former Minister of Defence, as Foreign Minister in 1979. Although he was considered a "wet", he avoided domestic affairs and got along well with Thatcher. The first issue was what to do with Rhodesia, where the five-percent white population was determined to rule the prosperous, largely-black ex-colony in the face of overwhelming international disapproval. After the collapse of the Portuguese Empire in Africa in 1975, South Africa, which had been Rhodesia's chief supporter, realised that country was a liability. Black rule was inevitable, and Carrington brokered a peaceful solution at the Lancaster House conference
Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher to the funeral. Argentine foreign minister Héctor Timerman said that any invitation would have been "just another provocation". The Argentine ambassador Alicia Castro was invited in line with diplomatic protocol, but declined the invitation. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Jacob Zuma expressed their "deepest sympathies". as did Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that Thatcher was "a pragmatic, tough and consistent person". Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev expressed sadness at the loss of a "great" politician "whose words carried great weight". Social media played a significant role in the aftermath of her death, with celebrities channelling