8 AUGUST 1994
Madam Speaker,
Honourable members,
If I sound a little breathless please understand that to be the foreign Minister of the new South Africa is a highly exciting and demanding job. It is also a most rewarding experience. I can report to this House that today each individual can be proud to be a South African. Our flag flies high in Addis Ababa, New York, and the capitals of the world.
The democratization of South Africa has created an historic opportunity for South Africa to play its rightful role for the first time in its history on the world stage. No longer are we unwelcome in civil society. Indeed what we have achieved is recognised by the international community as a model which serves as an example not only to troubled and repressive parts of the world but even in havens of democracy. It was an emotional experience for the largest gathering of heads of state and government present in Pretoria for the inauguration of Mr Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa and the installation of a government of National Unity. The reaction of the international community to the outcome of South Africa’s first democratic elections reflected intense interest abroad in our country’s welfare.
I would like to formally express appreciation to the international community - to foreign governments, to international organisations, to NGOs, to political parties, to support groups, and to political, religious and civic leaders throughout the world who supported the fight for justice and equality in our country over many years. They have by their actions not only welcomed us back into the fold but have rallied around to provide us with the means to consolidate what we have achieved. South Africa is indebted to the international community and as the Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Boutros-Boutros Ghali, reminded me when I met him in New York on 23 June 1994, we are now expected to also contribute to peace and security in the trouble sports of the world and especially in Africa.
Since the 10th May 1994, South Africa has joined the Organisation for African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and has also rejoined the Commonwealth and taken up its seat at the UN General Assembly. This rapid expansion of South Africa’s international activities brings increased responsibilities, including budgetary obligations and creates expectations about South Africa’s future international role. It is my intention to conduct South Africa’s international relations in a transparent manner and in close consultation with this House. I would like to request you to reflect on the tangible benefit which the expansion of our international relations brings to South Africa. If it is necessary, as it may well be, to increase the budget on the Foreign Affairs Vote it will be to ensure a greater return in real terms to the well-being of out nation and our people.
Without international interaction such as trade, scientific and technological exchange and cultural exchange, South Africans and South Africa would be much the poorer. In this regard the Department of Foreign Affairs, universities, institutes and the media have a particular responsibility to stimulate a debate on our international relations, to inform the public and to involve the people of South Africa in the promotion of our international relations.
The new Department of Foreign Affairs has initiated a series of policy planning conferences both in South Africa and abroad. It planes a series of Policy Workshops to be held with the involvement of former overseas representatives of the liberation movements, academics and other interested parties. Proposals are also being considered for the creation of a South African Council On Foreign Relations which will involve all interested parties and individuals in the debate on, and formulation of, South Africa’s foreign policy.
While it is not possible, and indeed not desirable, to attach a specific label to South Africa’s foreign policy, it is important to consider the direction in which South Africa would like to see its international activities and foreign policy develop. South Africa’s national interests will always dictate her policies . Membership nevertheless implies that South Africa associates itself with the desires, aspirations and general views of the OAU, the Commonwealth and others. One of the features of our foreign policy and our international relations in general, will therefore be consultation. At the United Nations and the OAU, we shall interact with the countries of our Region and of our Continent with the aim of promoting the best interests of our people.
It is important to note that South Africa does not see its membership of these organisations as a signal to reduce our interaction with other regional organisations; on the contrary, we shall use our membership of these groups to promote interaction with other blocs or regions, whether in Asia, North America, Europe or Latin America. Closer cooperation with them, individually and together, will be our objective, and not isolation in a particular grouping.
In the context of our objectives and aspirations, it is important to look at some of the principles we should consider to be fundamental to our policy. These include:
Much as the new South Africa would like to become involved in all issues and all laudable initiatives in the international arena, we do not have adequate resource of manpower and finances to achieve this. The Government of National Unity and the Department of Foreign Affairs will be obliged to define priority areas of importance and specific issues of primary concern. This process is under way and will be revised and updated as we proceed.
The areas of relative priority are the following:
We must realize of course, that a country’s international relations are multi-dimensional and priorities cannot be classified in strict watertight compartments.
Although many issues are receiving the attention of the GNU and of the Department of Foreign Affairs, a number of matters are of more immediate concern. These include:
South Africa should expect to face tough challenges in these and other areas of concern to the international community. I am confident that my Department will gear itself to accepting this challenge which will not be without problems such as:
South Africa became the 53rd member of the OAU on 23 May 1994. This has created high expectations of our role in the Southern Africa region and on the continent. South Africa stands ready to co-operate closely with other African countries, but the extent of our economic assistance will have to be dictated by our means.
South Africa will actually encourage the movement to create a new form of economic and political interaction in Southern Africa based on the principles of mutual benefit and interdependence. It is also of utmost importance that a regional security mechanism be established to cope with conflicts which may arise, because without a secure environment, economic development will be inhibited to the detriment of our people. Extensive discussions with SADC and FLS on this issue have already taken place. South Africa will not prescribe the nature or form of regional co-operation but will consult with our neighbours as equal partners. I had the privilege of attending a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Front Line States, which was held in Windhoek on 29 and 30 July 1994, in order to discuss these matters. Action has been taken regarding a broader association of Southern African States and the President will sign the treaty on Southern African Development Community on the 29th August 1994 in Gaborone.
Need it be said that the normalisation of relations with Africa has been a priority of the new government. South Africa has recently expanded its representation to over thirty African countries. The establishment of a High Commission in Nigeria and Tanzania is in progress, while an Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, accredited to the OAU, will be opened soon. Relations with countries of North Africa and the Middle East are also improving rapidly. The League of Arab States in March 1994 lifted all sanctions, leading to normalising economic relation in the region. The opening of an Embassy in Riyadh, South Arabia, is in progress while high level visits to Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunis, Algeria and Sudan are envisaged for the near future.
President Mandela undertook his first State visit to Mozambique during July 1994, emphasising the priority of co-operation and stability in Southern Africa. South Africa’s role of promoting peace and stability is also evident in its assistance with the Angolan and Mozambican peace processes. South Africa on 7 July 1994 hosted a Heads of State meeting with Angola, Mozambique and Zaire on the conflict in Angola and efforts will continue to reach a settlement there.
South Africa can and is prepared to play a constructive role in Africa. South Africa, in conjunction with other African and Middle Eastern countries and in partnership with and involved and solution-orientated international community, can be the platform from which the process of rebuilding can take place.
In the multilateral field the April 1994 election in South Africa proved to be a fundamental turning point. It was one of the most closely scrutinized international events in recent memory. The United Nations provided the umbrella under which its own observers and those of the Organisation of African Unity, the European Union and the Commonwealth worked in close collaboration with the Independent Electoral Commission to ensure that the process would be transparent, legitimate, free and fair; not only in the eyes of South Africans but also in those of the entire international community.
The election also marked a turning point in South African perceptions of the United Nations and other international organizations. Whereas before they were widely viewed with misapprehension, if not hostility, the doors are now opening for close relations and better understanding.
South Africa’s return to international fore coincides with a fundamental reordering of the international order brought about by the ending of the Cold War. The United Nations, as well as the other international organisations, are rethinking their role, their capacities and their limitations, and seeking new ways of dealing with the problems and opportunities of the modern world.
It is therefore an exciting time for South Africa to return, especially also as the country has through its unique and swift process of democratization earned the admiration of the world and is assured of a warm welcome.
We are now expected to play our full role, not only in the field of human rights but especially also in giving leadership to address the enormous challenges of our Continent of Africa. These are daunting tasks indeed. While it is clear to us and to our friends abroad that we must give priority to the consolidation of our internal democratic process which includes priority being given to our Reconstruction and Development Programme, we must not neglect the world around us and must be prepared to do our share within the means available to us. The world has become so interdependent that we can neglect to do so only at our peril.
In line with an increasing tendency amongst the nations of the world to tackle problems on a global basis, the United Nations responsibilities have in recent times been expanded to include virtually every conceivable area of human activity. I mention in particular the fields of arms control and disarmament, conflict resolution, economics and development, global resource management, human rights, social and legal questions. This in turn means that the UN relies heavily on its member states to adjust national policies towards multilateral issues, to participate in setting goals for global action and to supply human and financial resource. In this regard, South Africa, in order to play its rightful role in influencing and determing global events, needs to secure participation in those UN bodies which are considered to be of value to us and find the resource to make our participation possible, both in terms of money and manpower, and to develop policy positions on the multitude of issues dealt with by these bodies.
Active participation in the work of the United Nations also entails participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. This subject poses complex problems for South Africa. Notwithstanding South Africa’s new-found responsibilities in the world, the overriding concern in any decision on participation in UN peacekeeping operations should depend on assessments of the evolution of the new world order and whether participation, in whatever form, could be managed to maximum advantage.
After an absence of more than 30 years, South Africa resumed its membership of the Commonwealth on 1 June 1994. To mark this event, a service of welcome and thanksgiving was held on 20 July 1994 in Westminster Abbey, London, on which occasion South Africa was represented by Deputy President Mbeki.
There is an emerging human rights culture in South Africa. Much has developed at grass roots level domestically and much is in the process of being accommodated at central government level. These developments as well as the attitude of the Government of National Unity will determinate the extent of South Africa’s international role in the development of human rights. I can confirm that the Government’s attitude will be a sympathetic and active one.
The Department is urgently investigating all existing international covenants, treaties and conventions in terms of identifying our international needs and obligations, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. All possibilities are also being investigated whereby South Africa can become a Signatory to, and active participant in, all relevant OAU activities in the field e.g. the signing of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
It can be expected that the formalization of relations with the European Union will have a significant influence on South Africa’s relations with multilateral institutions like the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states party to the Lomé Convention. The significance of ensuring on-going consultation with these multilateral groups, while discussions and negotiations with the EU proceed, is recognised by the Government and will be actively pursued. Once regional go-operation has been placed on a sound footing, in-depth discussions and negotiations between the Southern African region and the EU will be able to proceed. The forthcoming Conference of Foreign Ministers of the EU and Southern Africa in Berlin, on 5 and 6 September 1994, should be viewed as an important catalyst.
On 19 April 1994, the European Council announced its intention to assist South Africa immediately with a package of initial measures which would also include increased market access through the granting of GSP i.e. the Generalized System of Preferences. At the same time the European Union signaled its willingness to start negotiations on immediate and long term agreements to facilitate closer co-operation with South Africa.
As regards the Reconstruction and Development Programme the Department of Foreign Affairs operates on two levels”
South Africa has recently seen various signs of foreign interest in Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to South Africa. In each case the stated aim was to contribute to making the RDP a success. Typical examples are President Clinton’s announcements, the recent visits to South Africa by President Mitterrand and minister Heseltine, the Japanese regard. A common element in the pronouncement by these eminent persons or group was that any development assistance to South Africa would be granted for a limited period only. Honourable Members should, therefore, take assistance from abroad as an input into the RDP : any such assistance should be regarded as a bonus. Our emphasis on the RDP being funded essentially by internal sources is, therefore, the correct one. The Department of Foreign Affairs will therefore concentrate our efforts on ensuring that South Africa achieves sustainable economic growth.
A further sector in which in the Department of Foreign Affairs in involved in supporting the RDP, is the International during October by the South African Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Commonwealth compiled to bolster the RDP’s aims and objectives. It will central strategies of the RDP.
Ass current President of the EU, Germany has launched a major initiative through the EU to strengthen co-operation and development ties with Southern Africa. This initiative will culminate in a combined conference in Berlin on 6- 7 September 1994 between the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and their Southern African Counterparts. A memorandum of intent enhancing EU/Southern African economic and political co-operation will be issues.
Time does not permit an overview of our relations with all overseas countries but I would like to reiterate that South Africa will continue to promote good relations with the United States, other members of the G-7, Latin American countries, other European countries and the countries of Asia. As far as practical, we will strive to arrange high level visits between South Africa and these countries to enable us to pursue matters of mutual interest.
My Department has a standing objective to communicate, internationally, South Africa’s strengths as well as the challenges facing it. Changed circumstances have redirected the focus of our communications programme to reflect the new South African realities, including, for example, fostering democratic values in the country and obtaining international support for the Reconstruction and Development Programme.
We live in a rapidly changing world. It is a primary function of the Department of Foreign Affairs to continuously analyse and interpret the world, with a view to the security and prosperity of our country and all of its people; and to advise the Government accordingly.
I would also like to make mention of the fact that I am extremely happy with the manner in which the Department of Foreign Affairs has approached the transition and my appointment as foreign Minister. It has been a great pleasure for me to get acquainted and to begin to work with a group of highly professional officials for whom I have the greatest respect.
I would also like to welcome new officials who are joining the new Department of Foreign Affairs from former representative offices abroad and from other structures in South Africa. We will reply heavily on all of them as we seek to reposition ourselves in the world at large. I know they are more than equal to the task, and anxious to proceed expeditiously with the important tasks which lie ahead.
I thank you.