Issued by: Truth and Reconciliation Commission
June 4, 1997
The TRC today replied to a letter from lawyers acting for the National Party which was received by the Commission late on Monday afternoon.
The Commission's legal officer, Mr Hanif Vally, said in response to the lawyers letter:
In view of the serious nature of the demands contained therein, we feel constrained to respond to your letter only when the matter has been fully discussed by the Commission. In this regard, a meeting of the Commissioners is due to be held on the 19 June 1997, thereafter your letter will receive a reply.
We reserve our rights to respond to the allegations contained in your letter, once they have been fully discussed by the Commission. Mr Vally also said:
We note with concern that the contents of your letter were published in, inter alia, Rapport prior to its being forwarded to us. Kindly advise us whether the said letter was released to the media by your clients before we had sight of it.