Council for Namibia commends supporters of resources decree.

The Council for Namibia has commended the actions of a group of women activists in England to ensure respect for the Council's Decree No. 1 for the protection of Namibia's natural resources.

In a statement issued on 8 March, the Acting President of the United Nations Council for Namibia, Ambasador Noel G. Sinclair (Guyana) recalled that on 25 March 1984, some 21 women had occupied the State-controlled British Nulear Fuels enrichment plant at Capenhurst in north-west England. He said it was reported that the plant processed and enriched illegally mined Namibian uranium supplied to it by Rossing Uranium, a subsidiary of the British-based Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation.

On 7 November 1984, the statement said, several of the women charged were found guilty of causing "criminal damage" to the plant and fined a total of 1,090 British pounds. At the trial, almost all of the women arrested had undertaken their own defence and had brought to the court's attention the question of Decree No. 1 and its violation by the operations of British Nucler Fuels, Rossing Uranium and Rio Tinto-Zinc Corporation.

On 7 February 1985, according to the statement, some of the activists refused to pay the court-ordered compensation to British Nuclear Fuels, reaffirming that Namibia's resources were the inviolable heritage of Namibians. Instead, they paid the court-ordered compensation directly to the South West Africa People's Organization. They also stated that in accordance with the Decree and the relevant United Nations resolutions, British Nuclear Fuels would be liable to pay damages to the future lawful government of an independent Namibia.

The statement said the Council commended that demonstration of concern for Namibia's natural resources and for the interests of the rightful owners of those resources. (Press Release NAM/808)

"Puppet Regime"

The United Nations Council for Namibia has condemned and rejected South Africa's latest manoeuvre for the installation of a "puppet regime" in Namibia.

In a statement issued on 29 March, the Acting President of the Council, Noel G. Sinclair (Guyana), said the Council had learned with profound indignation of the preparations being made by South Africa to install yet another puppet regime in Namibia, through the so-called Multi-Party Conference.

The statement said that, in direct contravention of Security Council resolution 435 (1978), the latest scheme envisaged the formation of a "transitional Government" which would include a "National Assembly, an Executive Cabinet and a Constitutional Council" which would draw up a "constitution" for the Territory within 18 months. The implementation of such a scheme constituted a blatant violation of Security Council resolution 439 (1978) by which the Council reiterated the view that any unilateral measure taken by the illegal occupation regime in Namibia, in contravention of relevant Security Council resolutions, was null and void, and declared that no recognition would be accorded either by the United Nations or any Member State to any representative or organ established by that process.

According to the statement, the delay induced by the continued insistence of the United States and South Africa on "linkage" or "parallelism" in the implementation of resolution 435 had encouraged Pretoria to continue in its efforts to impose yet another internal solution in Namibia.

The Council for Namibia called upon the international community to refrain from according any recognition to South Africa's latest "ploy" to perpetuate its illegal occupation of the Territory. It also called upon Security Council members to assume their responsibilities for the immediate and unconditional implementation of the United Nations plan for Namibia. (Press Release NAM/814)