FUTURE OF NAMIBIA (Hansard, 3 May 1973)

§ LORD BROCKWAY
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, we have just received Dr. Waldheim's report and so have not had time to study it in detail. I cannot anticipate the discussion shortly to take place in the Security Council.

§ LORD BROCKWAY
My Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reply may I ask him whether it is the case that Dr. Waldheim has been having discussions with the Foreign Secretary of the Republic of South Africa in Geneva, and that he had indicated that he would be giving his report before the end of April? In view of the fact that the Government have not had time to consider it, may I ask the noble Earl whether Her Majesty's Government stand by the United Nations Security Council resolution that the only satisfactory solution in Namibia, South West Africa, would be a united, independent State rather than segregated Bantustan groups'?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, Dr. Waldheim was asked to report to the Security Council by April 30. In fact, his report was made in New York, I think, on Tuesday of this week and was received to-day in London. It will of course be for the Security Council to decide whether he should continue his mission, which we regard as the most hopeful development in the search for a negotiated solution. I should like to tell the noble Lord, Lord 180 Brockway, that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my noble friend Lady Tweedsmuir discussed this matter with the South African Foreign Minister on April 9. The South African Government are in no doubt that we should like to see a peaceful evolution to self-determination and independence.

§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALE
My Lords, does there not come a time when controversy is resolved by history? Is it not over 55 years since this territory began to be managed and governed by South Africa, by the will of the people who won the war as a whole? Has it not been well managed, and a lot of money put into it? Is there any other group or nation which is geographically, ethnically or otherwise so capable of managing it as South Africa, and would we not do well to leave it alone?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, Her Majesty's Government have always wished to see that there should be a peaceful evolution to self-determination and to independence. This is the aim which we believe should be achieved, and it is our intention to try to see that it comes about.

§ LORD SHACKLETON
My Lords, would not the noble Earl agree that controversy which goes on for 55 years and is not settled in a decent way is likely to end in bloodshed and war?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, that is precisely what we are trying to avoid.

LORD FRASER or LONSDALE
My Lords, is that not a great exaggeration? This territory can hardly be called unanimous. It is terribly divided. It is almost impossible to imagine it governing itself or being able to express a will to do so.

§ LORD HALE
My Lords, will the noble Earl bear in mind that only two minutes ago the noble Lord who has just asked a question was describing the Treaty of Versailles as an expression of the will of the people, and that it is therefore a little hard now to talk about the will of the people being expressed? There is hardly one of us here who has not heard these statements about South West Africa and its history over all these years. Will the noble Earl accept the 181 fact that his extremely forthright reply to my noble friend Lord Brockway was very welcome indeed to almost everybody who is concerned with this matter?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Hale, for those remarks. One realises that on this particular question people hold very strong views, and all Her Majesty's Government are concerned to do is to see that, whatever progress is made, it is progress in the right direction carefully made.

§ LORD BROCKWAY
My Lords, while appreciating what the Minister has said, may I ask whether the real issue is not this: whether Namibia, South West Africa, shall become one united, independent State or, as South Africa desires, a group of racially-segregated Bantustan States? Is that not the real issue and, if it is, will Her Majesty's Government declare in favour of the Security Council resolution on this subject?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, it is because the United Nations were so concerned over this problem that Dr. Waldheim was asked to make his investigations, which he has done. I think that it would be somewhat premature, considering that Dr. Waldheim has only just made his report, to get ourselves involved. I would hope that the noble Lord, Lord Brockway, might he able to wait until there has been sufficient time to study Dr. Waldheim's report. The Government think this is really the best way to go about the matter.

§ LORD BROCKWAY
My Lords, I shall put down another Question later.