SOUTHERN AFRICA: THE WAY AHEAD: BRITAIN'S VIEW
Britain is fully at one with the rest of the Commonwealth in utterly condemning apartheid and wishing to see its total eradication so that all the inhabitants of South Africa can live in dignity and play a full part in the political life of their country.
Britain welcomes the recognition in the Kuala Lumpur statement: — that change is underway in South Africa; — that sanctions should not be punitive and that the international community will need to respond to evidence of clear and irreversible change; and — that both sides should come to the negotiating table in an atmosphere free of violence from either side.
But Britain believes the Commonwealth can help a new South Africa to emerge in much more positive ways than those set out in the Kuala Lumpur statement.
In Britain's view there have been important and positive changes in South Africa since the last meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in Vancouver. Seventy per cent of white South Africans voted for change in the recent elections and there is now a government firmly committed to the concept of negotiations. Peaceful political activity by the black majority has been accepted and eight of the political prisoners whose release [end p1] has long been a goal of Commonwealth countries have been set free.
In this new situation, Britain believes that the Commonwealth should concentrate now on encouraging change rather than on further punishment. Whatever their intention, the effect of sanctions is punitive. All the evidence is that they bear hardest on the poorest and weakest members of South Africa's black population, depriving them of the dignity of jobs and the ability to care for their families. South Africa's population is growing very rapidly and the country needs economic growth to provide a decent standard of living for its people. Sanctions, in particular financial sanctions, have the effect of deliberately depriving South Africa of access to the funds which it needs in order to grow. They thus put out of reach the possibility of improving living standards for all South Africans. Sanctions contribute to poverty and misery in South Africa, whereas Britain's efforts are directed to helping relieve poverty and misery throughout Africa as a whole.
Moreover, virtually every opinion poll—recent examples being those in the Independent newspaper and on ITN—shows a clear majority against sanctions when it is made clear they would involve loss of jobs. Even the recent book “Sanctions Against Apartheid” shows that 78 per cent of those asked did not feel sanctions would be worthwhile if many blacks were to lose their jobs as a result.
Britain does not agree that sanctions have the political effects claimed for them. While they certainly weaken the South African [end p2] economy, the political effect of sanctions is to increase resistance to change rather than encourage change. There seems to be a clear correlation between the imposition of additional sanctions by the US Congress and the Commonwealth and the strength of extreme right-wing parties in South Africa utterly opposed to change.
Britain believes in a constructive way forward in Southern Africa. The first step is to implement the concept developed by the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, to open the way to serious negotiations to start about the future of South Africa. This requires: — release of Nelson Mandela and all political prisoners; — lifting of the State of Emergency — unbanning of political organisations — all against the background of suspension of violence.
South Africa has taken the first steps down this road and must be encouraged by all possible measures of peaceful persuasion to proceed further. As and when South Africa does take the necessary steps then it would be right to lift some of the measures imposed by the international community, so as to reward progress and encourage South Africa to continue further down the road of reform. The aim should be to secure positive influence with the South African government rather than add to the sanctions which have been largely fruitless. [end p3]
At the same time, Britain will continue its substantial programme of positive help for black South Africans and neighbouring countries. This includes expenditure of some ten million pounds a year on measures in South Africa itself: — to finance nearly 1000 black South Africans in higher education — to contribute substantially to a scheme to create more low-cost housing for black South Africans — to support nearly 300 rural projects — to bring relief to refugees from Mozambique, — and to support Operation Hunger, which already provides food for 1.3 million black South Africans, including many children.
At the same time Britain will continue its very substantial programme of assistance to the Front Line States, which already totals some 1.1 billion pounds since 1980. Rather than contribute to the cost of the independent agency proposed by the rest of the Commonwealth to review and report on South Africa's international financial links, and of the continuing work of the Commonwealth Committee of Foreign Ministers on South Africa, Britain will contribute an equivalent amount for additional help to black South Africans.
Britain also gives its unequivocal support to the United Nations Javier Perez de CuellarSecretary-General in securing the implementation of United [end p4] Nations Security Council Resolution 435 in Namibia. It will be for him and his representative alone to judge whether the elections are fully free and fair. It will not be for any other group or body to pronounce on this or attempt to qualify or vary in any respect the provisions of the United Nations Plan. At the same time, Britain is ready to provide financial assistance to an independent Namibia as well as, if asked, military training for Namibia's armed forces after independence as we have done for Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other African countries.
Britain believes that recent developments in Southern Africa show that progress can be made by peaceful negotiation, whether it be in Namibia, in Angola or in Mozambique. While the future of South Africa itself must be for the people—all the people—of that country to decide, Britain wants to see the Commonwealth and the international community as a whole re-double their efforts to support peaceful change and enable the new South Africa to inherit a strong economy. This will more likely be achieved by the positive and constructive steps set out in this statement than by tightening sanctions and the imposition of new punitive measures as proposed by the rest of the Commonwealth.