Recent media reports have claimed that South Africa is not impartial in regard to the conflict in the Great Lakes sub-region and, in fact, alleged that assistance was provided to certain belligerents to the conflict. The Department of Foreign Affairs wishes to reject these allegations and reiterate its impartial role in resolving the conflict through the finding of a long-term solution to the problems in the DRC as well as the Great Lakes Region.
The Department wishes to emphasize that South Africa remains committed to a process that would ensure that the interests of all the Congolese people are promoted. In this regard, South Africa supports interaction with all parties to the conflict, in acceptance of the principles agreed upon in the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement signed by all the belligerents. The visit to South Africa by President Kabila and a senior Ministerial delegation on 26-27 July 1999, during which positive bi-lateral discussions were held, underline this principle.
South Africa supports the perspectives of the Lusaka agreement that the existence of the rebel movements and the non-military opposites groups is a fact in the political dynamics of the DRC and that unless this fact is accepted there will be no progress in the full implementation of the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement. The lack of progress in the implementation of the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement is noted with serious concern and South Africa remains of the opinion that discussions should be held with all the parties involved in order to urge them to co-operate in an active manner with the implementation of the Agreement.
The Deputy Minister, Aziz Pahad, reiterated the South African position that "South Africa is committed in supporting SADC and the international communities efforts to find durable solutions and ensuring that the ongoing negotiations to end the conflict must stay on track" should remain unquestioned. South Africa has, since the Pretoria Declaration of 23 August 1998, consistently and tirelessly promoted a cease-fire agreement that would call for the cessation of hostilities, troop standstill and withdrawal of all foreign trooops on DRC soil. The South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Zuma, has personally played a major role in getting the signatures of all belligerents to sign the Cease-fire Agreement. In addition, the South African Government, through the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), has suspended the sale of weapons to all belligerents involved in the conflict.
South Africa is a constitutional democracy that attracts many people with differing political persuasions and the presence in our country of any visitor does not imply that the Government favor them or their beliefs or supplies them with any support.
South Africa will therefore continue to hold discussions with all groups involved in the conflict in order to ensure that the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement is speedily implemented. In this regard, we wish to reaffirm the importance of the involvement of the United Nations, the Organisation of African Unity, the Southern African Development Community and the international community in the search for a lasting solution. We wish to urge the Security Council of the United Nations to urgently deploy a Peacekeeping force to the DRC and to provide the necessary logistical support for the various institutions created by the Lusaka Cease-fire Agreement.
ISSUED DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Pretoria
23 JANUARY 2000