Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE OPENING OF THE PEACEKEEPING TRAINING WORKSHOP IN PRETORIA BY FOREIGN MINISTER A NZO ON 17 AUGUST 1998
Mr Alfred Nzo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said last night at the opening of the Peacekeeping Training Workshop in Pretoria that regional security is an important issue for the Southern African sub-region because it affects the lives of its inhabitants directly. In order to attain this, the region must develop capacity and expertise in the peacefu resolution and management of conflicts.
Referring to the disturbing events which are now taking place in Southern African states, he said this served to illustrate the urgent need to take stock of the peacekeeping needs of the region.
He warned that peace and security did not automatically fall in place as democratisation and liberation take hold but are valuable treasures which must be nurtured and fostered in order to ensure a climate conducive to economic and social stability and welfare.
He stressed that it has become increasingly relevant to address the causes of conflicts before they can be resolved. Unemployment, hunger and poverty; crime, especially organised crime and drug trafficking; environmental degradation and desertification: these could all pose a threat to peace and security.
Minister Nzo remarked that reliance on military solutions for conflict resolution is giving way to diplomatic and political processes. The challenge therefore lies in designing ways to consolidate peace by institutionalising national and regional security policy- and decision-making processes that engage regional concerns through broader diplomatic and political instruments.
The SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security was established in June 1996, with the prime purpose of addressing regional defence and security issues at a political level.
Minister Nzo said that South Africa has proceeded a considerable way towards formulating fixed guidelines on how we can play a part in UN and OAU mandated peace missions. A White Paper on South African participation in Peace Missions has been formulated and is being discussed across a broad spectrum of stakeholders before being presented to Cabinet and Parliament for consideration.
Experience has proven that capacity building is a constant and complex process, Minister Nzo added. After a highly successful peacekeeping exercise in Zimbabwe last year, South Africa has been designated by its sub-regional partners to host the follow-up to this exercise, which will be called Exercise Blue Crane, in November 1998.
Minister Nzo said Exercise Blue Crane will be used as a tool to determine SADC's current readiness to respond to requests for participation in peace missions. The success of this exercise will impact on the entire sub-region's (and by implication that of the African Continent and ultimately the United Nations) capacity to deal with humanitarian and other crises in Africa and elsewhere.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
17 AUGUST 1998