Vol. 439 No. 6
8 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the commitments, if any, he has given to assist the holding of fair and free elections in South Africa; and the assurances that were given to a person (details supplied) who recently visited Ireland as a special emissary of Nelson Mandela.
68 Mr. Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to South Africa; and the countries for which the new Irish Ambassador for South Africa has responsibility.
85 Mr. Gilmore asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to South Africa; his views on the prospects for a successful transfer to majority rule; the assistance, if any, Ireland is providing in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 68 and 85 together.
The establishment of diplomatic relations with South Africa last October and the opening of an embassy in Pretoria began a new era in Irish-South African relations.
I paid an official visit to South Africa from 8 to 11 January. This visit gave me an opportunity to mark these new developments. It also enabled me to hear at first-hand a broad range of views on the political and economic situation in South Africa in the run-up to the first non-racial elections which are to be held in April next.
During my visit I had useful and informative meetings with State President Mr. F.W. de Klerk, Foreign Minister Mr. R.F. Botha, and with Mr. D.L Keys, Minister of Finance, of Trade and Industry as well as with a number of other Ministers.
I also had very good discussions with Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of the African National Congress and with senior members of the ANC including Mr. Thabo Mbeki, the newly elected national chairman. Mr. Mandela expressed his deep appreciation for Ireland's firm anti-apartheid stand over the years. I was privileged to be the guest of honour at the celebrations in Soweto on 8 January marking the 82nd anniversary of the founding of the ANC.
I also had useful discussions on political developments with representatives from other political parties including the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Pan Africanist Congress and the Afrikaner Volksfront.
In addition, I received valuable briefings from the Chairman of the National Peace Secretariat and from the Director of Lawyers for Human Rights on the important human rights work being carried out by these two organisations.
My visit also gave me an opportunity to meet members of the Irish community in Johannesburg and to pay tribute to the great work over many years of Mr. Paddy Ryan, our honorary consul. In Soweto, I saw the important educational work being carried out by the Irish Sisters of Mercy amongst the black community.
I believe there are good prospects for an increase in trade and commercial contacts between Ireland and South Africa. While in Johannesburg, I was pleased to launch the South Africa-Ireland Trade Association which has been established by a number of prominent Irish business people there with a view to encouraging trade between our two countries. I also had discussions on economic and trade matters with the chief executive and senior members of the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry and I had a valuable meeting with the managing director and senior managers of De Beers industrial diamond division.
The April elections will mark a watershed in the history of South Africa. A number of constitutional problems remain to be resolved between the Government, the ANC and the parties comprising the Freedom Alliance. These problems are being urgently addressed and I welcome the recent four point offer on the constitution made by Mr. Mandela. I hope that a solution can be found to enable all groups to participate in the elections and I believe there is still time to resolve difficulties if all parties bring a constructive approach to the negotiations.
The serious problem of violence in the townships is a matter of the deepest concern. From my meetings and talks with people across the political spectrum I am however hopeful that notwithstanding present difficulties, a successful translation to a non-racial democratic South Africa will take place in April.
On my visit I found great appreciation of the European Union's joint action to monitor the April elections. Ireland has two officers serving in the EU's election unit whom I met and we will contribute 24 observers to the EU's observer mission. We will also be providing £20,000 for voter education programmes.
In contacts during his visit to Ireland, and more recently through an envoy, Nelson Mandela has requested support for his party's efforts to reach as many as possible of the electorate to explain voting procedures to them and to ensure a large turnout. In response he has been assured of our strong support for the electoral process and of our willingness to help, through additional funding, to make it as effective as possible.
The newly appointed Irish Ambassador to South Africa is not yet accredited to other countries in the region on a nonresident basis. Such accreditations would be a matter for discussion and agreement with the Government of the countries concerned and it would be inappropriate at this stage to speculate on any such possible developments.
