10 October 2002
Over the past few weeks several British and US media have published unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations claiming South Africa's involvement in the supply of aluminium tubes to Iraq for development of weapons of mass destruction.
It is shocking that Mr Selfe of the Democratic Alliance has now jumped on the bandwagon and parroted the same allegations without verifying the facts. He must explain to the nation why the DA continues to indulge in such anti South African activities.
These allegations against the South African Government and individuals are not only factually incorrect but may prove to be libellous. These futile attempts are aimed at discrediting the South African Government and former President Nelson Mandela by making unsubstantiated allegations and vague aspersions.
South Africa has consistently and without fail called on Iraq to comply with all mandatory UN Security Council resolutions as a means of ending the sanctions regime which have caused untold humanitarian suffering on the ordinary Iraqis.
We have therefore welcomed the decision by the Iraqi Government to allow UNMOVIC and the IAEA to resume unconditional weapons inspections in Iraq. We are also encouraged by the successful meeting between the UN inspectors and Iraqi experts held in Vienna recently.
South Africa has constantly engaged with the United Nations and other role players to find a peaceful resolution to the current crises in the Middle East and the Gulf.
In this regard, we reiterate the view by President Thabo Mbeki in his address to the 57th Session of United Nations General Assembly, that " the multilateral system of global governance remains the only viable international response to all our challenges".
South Africa has over the past few years engaged Iraq in limited trade only under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 986 "Oil-for-Food-programme" as approved by the 661 Committee of the UN (UN sanction review committee). It is in this context that the First Secretary at the SA Embassy in Amman, Mr. Schoeman du Plessis, was tasked with the responsibility of promoting trade between South Africa and Iraq. We reject with contempt any assertion that he was engaged in nefarious activities.
During his tenure as First Secretary and accredited to Iraq on a non-residential basis, neither he nor the South African Embassy in Amman received requests from either the Iraqi government or businesspersons for supply of aluminium tubes. Equally during the same period the South African Government was not requested and has not assisted nor facilitated the supply of aluminium tubes to Iraq by any South African parastatal or company involved in the UN sanctioned oil-for food trade with Iraq.
South Africa has always encouraged companies to specifically engage Iraq in humanitarian contracts such as those tendered by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. South Africa has also participated along with 40 other countries in the last three Baghdad International Trade Fairs.
South Africa has since the advent of democracy in 1994 committed itself to a policy of non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control that covers all weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons. Critical to note is that South Africa's nuclear inventory was declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1991 when South Africa acceded to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Since then all changes to the inventory have been duly reported and verified by inspectors of the IAEA on a monthly basis.
The South African Council for the Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction has in a statement by its Chairperson, Abdul Minty, already stated that it "has not approved any exports of controlled goods, including special aluminium tubes that can be used for uranium enrichment, to Iraq".
The South African Government reiterates the call by the South African Council for the Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction that anybody with information to the contrary should provide the Council with "such information for investigation".
The South African Government wishes to warn those peddling such anti-South African, unfounded speculation and the exploitation thereof, whether for narrow party political interests or as part of a dirty tricks campaign, that such speculation is serious and dangerous.
Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs.