unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (09/12/89)
He said the Nordic countries had worked closely together on
matters concerning sanctions against apartheid and continued to
do so. A common Nordic action programme was adopted in l978 and
had been revised several times since then, most recently last
year. All the Nordic countries had legislated against trade in
goods with South Africa. The legislation of Denmark and Norway
also covered trade in services. In the United Nations, the
Nordic countries favoured, among other things, an efficient oil
embargo and a halt to all air traffic to South Africa. SAS had
ceased flying to South Africa in l986.
As to the results of Nordic sanctions policies, he said, it was
likely that South Africa had been able to substitute what it had
previously imported from the Nordic countries with other
imports, possibly at a higher cost in terms of money and
quality. The loss of the Nordic countries as an export market
had to a certain extent diminished South African earnings of
foreign currency. The Nordic sanctions policy had had a
noticeable effect on the
South African economy but not to the extent that it had been a
matter of real concern to the apartheid Government.
He said that by applying sanctions, the Nordic countries had also
been able to support and encourage those individuals, groups and
parties in the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere, who
were pressing their Governments to accept sanctions. The Nordic
countries did not believe that anything short of compulsory,
mandatory economic sanctions decided by the Security Council
would have a real impact in South Africa. But they hoped that
other unilateral actions would help to bring that forward.
In the Harare Declaration, he pointed out, it was stated that
economic sanctions against South Africa should be terminated
after the adoption of a new non-racial constitution. The Nordic
countries were prepared to continue their policy of sanctions
against apartheid until a change of that kind and magnitude had
occured in South Africa.
TERRY CRAWFORD-BROWNE, a former South African banker and adviser
to Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Rev. Alan Boesak, said the
Government's programme of destabilization of neighbouring
countries, combined with repression within South Africa, had
again been recognized as being an international menace.
As a part of the initiative towards comprehensive sanctions, the
African National Congress, the Organization of African Unity,
the Commonwealth, the Mass Democratic Movement and South African
church leaders had identified international financial pressure
as having particular urgency.
In September l985, he recalled, South Africa announced a
standstill on its foreign debt of $24 billion. Rescheduling
agreements on part of that debt were negotiated in l986 and
l987. It was evident that the Government would attempt to
extend the agreements well before June l990, hence the urgency
in asking for international action.
South African church leaders had requested the major
international banks involved to refuse to reschedule South
Africa's debts until the state of emergency was ended; all
political detainees and prisoners were released; all political
organizations were unbanned; all flagrantly racist legislation
was repealed; and a process to negotiate a new constitution for a
democratic, non-racial and unitary South Africa was
established.
Every banker both in South Africa and overseas was critically
aware that the overriding problem of the South African economy
was apartheid, he said. The annual direct and indirect economic
costs of apartheid amounted to 80 billion rands. This was an
appalling squandering of resources on an immoral ideology which
was evil, corrupt, unjust, oppressive, violent and a crime
against humanity.
He said church leaders and others had asked the major banks to
make any debt rescheduling conditional upon constitutional
negotiations for a democratic, non-racial and united South
Africa. The Security Council should direct the banks to give
effect to that request.
The Government and its supporters would argue that in such an
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations
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