§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the deployment of observers to South Africa in accordance with the terms of United Nations Security Council resolution 772.
§ Mr. HurdThe United Nations, the EC, the Commonwealth and the Organisation of African Unity 553W are all sending groups of observers to South Africa. Their role will be to seek, by their presence in situations of potential conflict, to prevent violence, defuse tension and promote peace. They will be operating in close co-operation with each other, and with the National Peace Secretariat—as well as with the United Nations and observer teams from other international organisations.
There will be 15 EC observers drawn from throughout the Community. The majority of participants have a police background. Two of them are British. They will arrive in South Africa on 29 October.
The EC is also providing six police experts to be attached to Judge Goldstone's recently-established investigative task forces. A senior British police officer will act as the co-ordinator of the team. This officer arrived in South Africa on 7 October.
The Commonwealth has recruited 20 observers to play a similar role to that of the EC group. One of the group is a United Kingdom police officer.
The 50 United Nations observers are drawn from the staff of the United Nations secretariat. The composition of the OA U group is still under discussion.