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AU and NATO Membership NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL
REPLY QUESTION NO: 44 PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF
31 MAY 2005 Dr S E M Pheko (PAC) to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
(1)
Whether membership of military alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(Nato) is in conflict with membership of the African Union (AU) and of the Pan
African Parliament (PAP); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(1)
whether the (a) Government and (b) AU have any mechanisms in place to deal with
member states of the AU and PAP that affiliate to such military alliances; if
not, why not; if so, what mechanisms in each case? N981E REPLY: As
far as we are aware, no member of the African Union is a member of NATO nor are
we aware of any country in the African Union that is seeking membership. Although
there is no prohibition in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, nor in any
of its protocols to membership of NATO or other similar alliances, we are not
aware of any such aspirations by member states. Obviously, African Union
Members States are under obligation in international law not to breach the provisions
of the Constitutive Act or other treaties to which they are party.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PUBLISHED ON INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 17 OF
31 MAY 2005 FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: 45 Dr S E M Pheko (PAC)
to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs: (1) Whether the she has taken up
cases where South Africans have been refused visas to visit friends or to do business
in the United States of America on the grounds that they would seek work or were
terrorists; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? N1114E REPLY: (1)
With respect to what the honourable member refers to as terrorists, presumably
those who were cadres in the liberation movement, the response is the same as
that given to his question 164 published in the Internal Question Paper Number
4 of 11 June 2004, I quote: "The department is unaware of instances
where such application (s) by former cadres of the liberation movements for a
waiver of the visa denial have not been accepted. There were instances where non-governmental
visa applications could not be processed on time due to the fact that application
were made on the eve of the scheduled journey. The US State department has
also assured our Embassy in Washington that the problem is of a technical nature
and that it is not intended as a reflection on the liberation movement's contribution
to the anti-apartheid struggle at all." With regards to the rejection
of visa application on the basis of seeking employment, each country has its own
rules and regulations regarding visa requirements. South Africans applying to
the US or any other country for a visa must comply with those regulations. END. ---000---
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: PQ 57 PUBLISHED
IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF 31 MAY 2005 Mr KO Bapela (DA) to ask
the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Whether the large presence of South Africans
in Iraq without the mandate of the Government augments or complements the Government's
efforts towards human rights, peace and stability; if not, what is the Government
doing about the activities of these South Africans in Iraq; if so, how? N1105E REPLY: The
South African Government remains committed to actively supporting international
efforts, through the United Nations, to restore peace and stability, as well as
to promote respect for human rights, in Iraq. The Government however remains
concerned regarding the involvement of South African citizens in any activities
which are in contravention of the Foreign Military Assistance Act and has taken
the necessary steps prescribed in the act where such activities come to its attention.
In this regard, it will be recalled that the Minister of Defence had announced
on 27 October 2004, during a press briefing in Parliament, that nearly 100 South
Africans were under investigation in terms of the Act. ---000---
NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: 59 PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL
QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF 31 MAY 2005 Adv Z L Madasa (ACDP) to ask the Minister
of Foreign Affairs
In view of the constant eruption of violence on the continent
due to disputed elections, what measures are being taken by the African Union
to address the problem of disputed elections? N1107E REPLY: The African
Union will commence a process to draft its own guidelines regarding election monitoring
in July 2005. In the meanwhile it is theoretically possible to raise such
matters with the African Union Peace and Security Council which in Article 8 (7)
regarding procedures stipulates that:
"The provisional agenda of
the Peace and Security Council shall be determined by the Chairperson of the Peace
and Security Council on the basis of proposals submitted by the Chairperson of
the Commission and Member States. The inclusion of any item in the provisional
agenda may not be opposed by a Member State."
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NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY
PUBLISHED ON INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NUMBER 17 OF 31 MAY 2005 FOR
ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: 60 Mr D H M Gibson (DA) to ask the Minister
of Foreign Affairs: (2) Whether the Government agrees with the United Nations
Secretary General, Kofi Annan, that the UN Human Rights Commission is failing
to uphold the Commission's credibility and that the entire UN system has been
undermined by the election of Sudan, Zimbabwe, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia
to the Commission; if not, why not; if so, on what basis does the Government agree;
(3)
Whether the Government supports Kofi Annan's proposal that a new Human Rights
Council replace the Human Rights Commission; if not, why not; if so, why;
(4)
Whether the Government agrees that members of the Council must uphold the highest
possible standards of human rights; if not, why not; if so, how would this approach
determine South Africa's support for nominees in the future? N1108E REPLY: (2)
Whilst we agree that the credibility of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights (CHR) is being undermined, we do not agree that this is the result of the
election of any specific country such as those arbitrarily listed by the Honourable
Member. Rather, it is the selective nature and the politicisation of the
agenda of the CHR that undermines its credibility. We consequently agree
with the observation of the United Nations Secretary General made in his address
to the CHR in Geneva in April 2004 where he stated that the Commission is "undermined
by the politicisation of its session and the selectivity of its work". (3)
South Africa subscribes to the common African position contained in the Ezulwini
Consensus that "the status quo on the composition and location of the CHR
should be maintained". We also support the view that has been expressed
about "the need for further consultations on the proposals related to the
CHR". (4) Yes. South Africa has consistently advocated that member
states of the United Nations should promote a culture of human rights. This, we
do, conscious of the fact that all member states are eligible to be candidates
for all United Nations bodies for which vacancies exist. ---000---
NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION NO: 61 PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL
QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF 31 MAY 2005 Mr DHM Gibson (DA) to ask the Minister
of Foreign Affairs:
Whether, as the current Chairperson of the African Union
Post-Conflict and Reconstruction Committee (PCRC) in Sudan, the Government will
support the deployment of United Nations troops to the province of Darfur; if
not, why not; if so, what steps will the Government take to ensure that this takes
place?
N1109E REPLY: Article 17 of the Protocol Establishing
the Peace and Security Council describes the relationship between the AU and the
United Nations. Article 17 (2) in particular notes that where necessary, recourse
will be made to the United Nations to provide the necessary financial, logistical
and military support for the African Unions' activities in the promotion and maintenance
of peace, security and stability in Africa, in keeping with the provisions of
Chapter VIII of the UN Charter on the role of Regional Organizations in the maintenance
of international peace and security. It would therefore be a natural progression
for the AMIS to be turned into a United Nations Mission, as the United Nations
recognises its responsibility regarding conflict areas in Africa. This process
has in fact already begun. The Secretary-General of the UN has reported to the
UNSC on the situation in Darfur. He contended that the strengthening of AMIS is
necessary to ensure stability in Darfur. He proposed that the UN assist the AU
by offering its technical assistance and training to bolster AMIS. The Security
Council welcomed the SG's proposals and called on donors to continue their support
for the AU operation. After this report to the UN, Mr Kofi Annan met with
the Chairperson of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa for a Pledging
Conference for AMIS, which was held in Addis Ababa on 26 May 2005. The idea to
host this Conference followed on the decision taken by the AU Peace and Security
Council of 28 April 2005, authorising the further enhancement of AMIS to a full
operational capability of 6,171 military personnel, with an appropriate civilian
component, including up to 1,560 civilian police, by the end of September 2005. Therefore,
South Africa supports any decision of the AU or UN regarding additional troops.
END.
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL REPLY QUESTION
NO: 62 PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF 31 MAY 2005 Mr
W J Seremane (DA) to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Whether the recent
purchase by the Zimbabwean government of six Chinese-made Karakorum 8 (K-8) military
trainer jets will contribute to a regional arms race; if not, why not; if so,
what action does the Government intend taking? N1110E REPLY: No. This
will not contribute to a regional arms race as there is no arms race taking place
in the region. END.
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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR ORAL
REPLY QUESTION NO: 63 PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 17 OF
31 MAY 2005 Mr W J Seremane (DA) to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Whether
a Zimbabwean economic collapse will have any direct impact on the South African
economy; if not, (a) why not and (b) what factors did she take into consideration
in reaching this conclusion; if so, what are the relevant details? N1111E
REPLY:
Yes,
if it collapses, which is not the case now, it will have an impact on the South
African economy. However, it must be noted that, the fact that Zimbabwe's economy
is shrinking does not mean that it is collapsing.
END.
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