Condemn Security Council vetoes by United States, United Kingdom preventing sanctions against Pretoria.

Condemn Security Council vetoes by United States, United Kingdom preventing sanctions against Pretoria

The Spcial Committee against Apartheid has expressed its "total condemnation" of the vetoes by the United States and the United Kingdom at the 15 November 1985 Security Council meeting which prevented the adoption of mandatory sanctions against South Africa.

The Committee did so in a statement adopted after a two-day "strategy session" held on 25 and 26 November at Headquarters with 29 non-governmental and anti-apartheid organizations.

The Special Committee stressed the urgent need, in co-operation with anti-apartheid and solidarity movements, to intensify the campaign to impose comprehensive sanctions against Pretoria. The campaign should expose the role of the United States and Britain in "protecting apartheid South Africa in the United Nations Security Council as well as other major opponents of sanctions such as the Federal Republic of Germany", the Committee stated. National and international pressure was urgently required to press those Governments to end their continued support for the apartheid regime, and its total isolation must continue to be sought.

The United Nations mandatory arms embargo against South Africa must be strengthened and strictly implemented; and monitoring and enforcement by the United Nations and by Governments had to become more effective. The existing embargo should be extended to include oil, a ban on all nuclear collaboration and on all "high tech" exports, including computers and electronic equipment.

Any agreement to reschedule South Africahs debt should be seen as a "political act" by the international banking community "designed to rescue the apartheid regime" from its current crisis, the Committee said. Action should be taken against South Africa's export trade to deny it much needed foreign exchange. Special attention needed to be focused on South African exports of strategic minerals. All air links with South Africa and Namibia should cease. The importance of the sports, cultural and academic boycotts was stressed, together with the need to step up the campaign against tourism. Utmost pressure should be put on the Federal Republic of Germany not to renew its cultural agreement with South Africa, which was suspended on 18 September 1985.

Situation in South Africa

'extremely serious'

Joseph N. Garba (Nigeria), Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid, on 19 December 1985 reported that the situation in South Africa continued to be extremely serious, with the state of emergency still in force and extended. Killings, detentions and torture continued, and the media had been censored so that world public opinion would not know the extent of the violence and brutality. The year had been one of sacrifice, he said, characterized by the will and determination of the people to revolt against the regime.

In 1985, in spite of its efforts to help eliminate apartheid, the Special Committee had not received the support of certain Western Governments. The United States was taking measures to assist the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), "South African surrogates". The Federal Republic of Germany had still not withdrawn accreditation for the South African military attache as agreed by the European Community Foreign Ministers on 10 September. The Defence Minister of Chile had visited South Africa in October and praised the South African Defence Force for its "admirable" work.

Appeal for withdrawal of six

death sentences

The Special Committee against Apartheid has appealed for the immediate withdrawal of the 12 December 1985 sentencing to death of six South Africans it described as "patriots", "for allegedly killing the so-called deputy mayor of the African township of Sharpeville".

In a 20 December statement, Committee Chairman Joseph N. Garba (Nigeria), said the same court had sentenced to eight years each two others charged for the same alleged offence. The eight had been held incommunicado for more than 15 months, had been allowed no bail, and had been "subjected to severe torture", he said.

Pretoria had also sentenced on 12 December five alleged members of the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) to a total of 33 years for "furthering the aims and objects of the PAC and supplying weapons and equipment to the people". Two of those sentenced were critically ill due to injuries inflicted upon them by the security police.

Anti-apartheid Committee

condemns Winnie Mandela's

arrest

The Special Committee against Apartheid has strongly condemned the 20 December arrest of Winnie Mandela "by the repressive authorities of the South African regime", and demanded her immediate release and withdrawal of all restrictions placed on her.

In a 24 December cable sent to Mrs. Mandela by Acting Chairman Serge Elie Charles (Haiti) he said her protest sent "a powerful message not only to all oppressed people in South Africa but to all those organizations and individuals which were protesting in solidarity with her struggle.

Committees consider ways to

strengthen anti-apartheid

programme

Representatives of the Special Committee against Apartheid and the Commonwealth Committee on Southern Africa meeting at Headquarters on 2 and 3 December 1985 agreed on specific measures to generate and request increased television and radio coverage of resistance in South Africa and to counter South African propaganda.