§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the meeting of his Department's officials with the South African ambassador on 25 February.
§ Mr. RentonMy hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind) met the South African 161W ambassador on 25 February to discuss recent developments in South Africa. He explained that we welcomed some positive developments—such as the announcement of 99-year leasehold rights for Cape Flats townships—but were concerned at others, including the arrest of the United Democratic Front leaders and in particular the detention of four without charge.
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in relation to the aide memoire of Her Majesty's Government dated 15 February 1965 to the South African Government setting out categories of military equipment which Her Majesty's Government were prepared in principle to supply to South Africa, if any equipment is now supplied; and if the supply of items for any particular category has been terminated.
§ Mr. RentonAny arrangements between the United Kingdom and South Africa for the supply of military equipment prior to 1977 were overtaken by the obligations incurred as a result of the adoption in that year of United Nations Security Council resolution 418.
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will require the British military attaché in South Africa to establish whether the Plessey AR3D radar system delivered to South Africa in 1981 and the Marconi system updating the S247 radar system which was delivered in 1983–84 are being used for the purposes for which the export licences were granted.
§ Mr. RentonNo. At the time of granting the export licences we were fully satisfied that the equipment was intended for use in air traffic control, having a civil application. I know of nothing to indicate that it is not being used for the purpose for which it was supplied.
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to discuss with the Italian Government the termination of the licensing agreement under which Rolls-Royce Viper engines are manufactured for Impala aircraft in South Africa.
§ Mr. RentonNo. The Italian Government have already made their position clear. In a letter to the Security Council Committee established by resolution 421 (1977) the Italian Government confirmed that in the case of South Africa they had not issued licences since 1972 for component parts of the Viper engine, as reported in the Committee's report adopted on 19 September 1980 (S/14179).
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the South African Government Ministers and the South African Government officials who have been received by Her Majesty's Government during the years 1979 to 1984, giving the names and dates of those meetings.
§ Mr. RentonThere are no centrally kept records covering such a list. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions have been given to the United Kingdom delegation regarding Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the inclusion of the phrase "and related material of all types" in operative paragraph 2 of the draft United Nations Security Council Resolution 558 (1984).
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§ Mr. RentonThere were discussions at the United Nations on several draft texts before the final version was tabled by the sponsor and adopted as Security Council resolution 558. Instructions given to the United Kingdom delegation in these, and in other negotiations, remain confidential, but they reflected our concern to find a practicable solution which would command the support of all members.
§ Mr. Cabornasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the explanation of vote made by the United Kingdom representative at the United Nations Security Council when it adopted Security Council Resolution 558 (1984).
§ Mr. RentonYes. The text of the Explanation of Vote delivered by the United Kingdom representative is reproduced as follows
The recent turmoil in South Africa has claimed many lives. The situation there continues to be tense and highly charged. It is not a situation to which this Council can remain indifferent. The continuing tragedy of South Africa remains a source of grave concern to us all.It has been the constant view of successive British Governments that apartheid is unacceptable morally and was bound to prove unworkable in practice. We accordingly believe that it is right to maintain strong pressure on the South African Government both bilaterally and through the United Nations to abandon and dismantle apartheid. The Arms Embargo adopted under Security Council Resolution 418 has been an appropriate instrument of such pressure and has been implemented strictly in British legislation and by British courts.The most recent events in South Africa have caused great distress to the British Government, in Parliament and among the British public, as they have to many other countries, and particularly to our friends and partners in Africa. It is right that the Security Council should now consider whether there are additional ways of influencing the South African Government to turn away from apartheid and respect the civil and political rights of all the people of South Africa.At the same time, the Council must consider most carefully and responsibly the consequences of its actions. The Council must not abdicate its responsibilities by pursuing measures—whatever their popular appeal— which would in practice be counter-productive. Certain suggestions which are frequently aired in our view would exacerbate the situation in South and Southern Africa, and could cause grave damage to states neighbouring South Africa. The Security Council must pay scrupulous attention to the Charter, and must not lightly enter into areas such as Chapter VII measures.We are, in principle, opposed to trade sanctions. Wide economic sanctions are difficult to enforce, lead to a hardening of views and tend to harm those who are poorest and most vulnerable. Trade, on the other hand, is a channel for widening mutual understanding and for exercising a moderating influence.By adopting a non-mandatory resolution, directed against importers, the Council has pursued a realistic course Let me stress that my own Government does not import arms from South Africa. I trust that the same is true for other members of the Security Council. Our message, as a Council, to states outside this organ is that they should follow suit.My delegation has co-operated closely with the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands over this Resolution. We expressed to him the hope that he could find a text which would command unanimous support, and we made specific suggestions to this effect. We are glad that he has succeeded and I would like to pay tribute to him for the thoroughness and the skill with which he has consulted members of the Council and embodied the consensus of their views.It is against this background that my delegation has supported the present Resolution. In so doing we are also reflecting both our ineradicable opposition to apartheid and our specific disapproval of the actions of the South African Government in a recent and relevant case.