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An Annual Address by the Director-General
of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba
at the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of the South African
Institute of International Affairs, 20 May 2004
South Africa's Foreign Policy Since
1994
Mr Chairman
Excellencies
Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Ladies & Gentlemen
I would like to thank you for this invitation to address
this evening's meeting at the South African Institute
of International Affairs (SAIIA) on the occasion of
the celebration of 70 years of existence of an Institute
that has played a significant role in African foreign
policy. This celebration also comes at a time when the
people of our country have joined together to celebrate
10 years of democracy. Thus today's commemoration ought
to be seen as a double celebration.
I would like to pay tribute to those SAIIA staff members
and National Directors who throughout its history have
steered the Institute towards becoming a leading academic
think-tank. I would also like to congratulate SAIIA
on the launch of its new publication: "Apartheid
Past, Renaissance Future - Ten Years of South African
Foreign Policy". I believe that this book will
also serve as a valuable reference work in the years
to come.
As we reach these milestones in our history as a nation
and as this Institute, it would be fitting to point
to those who even at the beginning of the last century
were conscious of the challenges that lay ahead for
future generations and who managed to articulate concerns
that we are still grappling with today, even as we live
in new times.
In 1901 in a young democracy, as the American people
looked forward to a bright future, Theodore Roosevelt
in his presidential acceptance speech in front of the
American people was as bold as to say that:
"We belong to a young nation, already of giant
strength, yet whose present strength is but a forecast
of what still is to come… East and west we look
across the two great oceans toward the larger world-life
in which, whether we will or not, we must take an ever-increasing
share. And as, keen eyed, we gaze into the coming years,
duties new and old rise thick and fast to confront us
from within and from without."
Three years later writing in the same country, the
great thinker, W.E.B. Du Bois began his important work
The Souls of Black Folk by speaking of what it means
to be black in a new century. He writes that:
"Herein lie buried many things which if read with
patience may show the strange meaning of being black
here in the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning
is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader; for the
problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the
color-line.
Writing in "The Conservation of Races" Du
Bois went on to say that:
"No people that laughs at itself, and ridicules
itself, and wishes to God it was anything but itself
ever wrote its name in history; it must be inspired
with the Divine faith of our black mothers, that out
of the blood and dust of battle will march a victorious
host, a mighty nation, a peculiar people, to speak to
the nations of earth a Divine truth shall make them
free."
Yet again three years later in 1906, speaking here
on African soil, Pixley Ka Seme, spoke of the regeneration
of Africa:
'The African people, although not a strictly homogenous
race, possess a common fundamental sentiment which is
everywhere manifest, crystallizing itself into one common
controlling idea… Agencies of a social, economic
and religious advance tell of a new spirit which, acting
as a leavening ferment, shall raise the anxious and
aspiring mass to the level of their ancient glory…
The regeneration of Africa means that a new and unique
civilization is soon to be added to the world….
The most essential departure of this new civilization
is that it shall be thoroughly spiritual and humanistic
- indeed a regeneration, moral and eternal."
The significance of these quotations or voices we could
call them speaking to us across a century is that the
agenda was being set already a hundred years ago for
what the main concerns would be of the world. The gaze
of America was already on other lands and on other peoples,
a new nation conscious of its own strengths and powers,
both real and potential, as it sought to project itself
as a world power.
Du Bois had already articulated the pervasive issue
of race and racism that as South Africans and Africans,
under colonialism and apartheid, we have had to deal
with and overcome. On the ruins of our painful past,
we have had to face the challenge of building a new,
non-racial and non-sexist democratic country and of
forging unity and asserting the freedom of all our people,
both black and white, in shaping a better continent
and a better world.
Our consciousness of our role in the world has led
us to embrace an African agenda, to strive towards the
renewal of our continent, which thinkers such as Du
Bois and Marcus Garvey in the African Diaspora, as well
as leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Nyerere and others
have articulated and further expanded upon over many
decades. What was wholly new for us, was that for the
first time, with the attainment of democracy in South
Africa, in what came to be called the second wave of
democracy to sweep the African continent, the African
people now had it within their own grasp to build their
economies and to bring about social and cultural advancement.
Our national liberation was thus crucial, not only for
ourselves, but for a continent whose future was at stake.
Ours was the new generation who would have to ensure
an end to the impoverishment of the African continent
and to embark on processes that would lead to prosperity
and sustained development.
It is with this in mind that the vision and mission
of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to strive for
peace, stability, democracy and development on an African
continent, which is non-sexist, prosperous and united.
It is coming from this history that we set our sights
on contributing to a world that is just and equitable.
This is why we strive for an African Renaissance and
the creation of a better world for all. South Africa
continues to entrench democracy and a culture of human
rights.
The Department has been and still is committed to promoting
South Africa's national values as espoused in our Constitution.
In the realisation of its Vision and in the execution
of its Mission, the Department is guided by the core
values of loyalty, dedication, ubuntu, equity and professional
integrity. These internal core values are manifested
in South Africa's foreign policy.
It is important to underscore that South Africa's foreign
policy is premised upon its national interests, domestic
policies and values. Domestically, South Africa is committed
to bringing about a better life for all in an environment
of peace, stability and security, by creating "people-centered
security". Yet this objective can only be achieved
in an international environment characterised by global
peace and security and an equitable and just system.
South Africa has continued to develop its foreign policy
on the principles that characterised our first decade
of democracy. The consistency, with which the principled
positions of South Africa have been applied, even under
some very difficult international conditions, has been
important in projecting the independence and progressive
nature of South Africa's foreign policy. This consistency
allows the Department to also look forward with confidence
at how it will continue to shape its policy positions
and institutionally adapt itself to the changing demands
of international relations in the future.
Above all, in pursuit of a more humane, people-centred
world and in working towards the regeneration of Africa
and the nurturing of "a new and unique civilization"
that Du Bois spoke about nearly a hundred years ago,
the context of South Africa's foreign policy is firmly
rooted in Africa and the South.
In renewing the basis of its ties with its Southern
African neighbours and other African States, South Africa
sought to exemplify good neighbourliness and to use
its relative strength on the continent to foster mutual
development. South Africa has become one of the critical
players in shaping the developmental agenda of the Continent.
This is demonstrated by the fact that South Africa is
a founding member of the African Union (AU) and has
been influential in the conceptualisation and promotion
of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
The strengthening of SADC is also important as part
of our efforts for a better region.
Regarding global governance, our efforts are aimed
at the reconstruction of an international order in which
multilateralism and international law prevail. At a
time when multilateralism and the whole multilateral
system that have been built up over the past fifty years
seem to be under threat, South Africa, together with
others, will have to find ways to defend, protect and
strengthen that system.
Through the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other organisations
of the South we recognise our responsibility to play
key roles in this unfolding challenge.
In its efforts to work towards a stable, peaceful and
prosperous world for all, South Africa has provided
humanitarian and disaster relief assistance to the global
community where its resources permitted. The country
has actively engaged in mediation as well as participating
in peace-keeping operations in conflict situations in
Africa and beyond. South Africa had, together with other
African States, played a crucial role in the establishment
of the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC).
Furthermore, as we endeavour to redress the economic
disparities of the past, globally we act as part of
a collective that is building bridges and narrowing
the divide between the South and the North. We approach
this engagement as partisan actors driven by the developmental
interest of the South and Africa in particular.
South Africa has sought innovative ways of meeting
these challenges by becoming an active agent of progressive
change and developing networks with partners of the
South and the North.
Through South-South co-operation and North-South dialogue,
South Africa has sought to consolidate an agenda for
the South and to build a concrete partnership with the
North to forge a common vision for meeting the pressing
challenges faced by the global community, including
peace and security, good governance and sustainable
development.
Under the guidance of the objective to create "a
better life for all" South Africa has strategically
accepted leading positions over the past decade and
continues to nurture the high respect that its moral
leadership has received. We continue to be seen as a
hope for others who wish to achieve a people-centred
global order through the constructive and innovative
ways in which we are attempting to deal with the problem
of our two economies, the rich, technologically driven
first economy on the one hand and the poor, underdeveloped
second economy on the other.
Furthermore, we have actively worked with the peoples
of the South to achieve a more equitable and just world
order. In this regard, we, together with our partners,
are advocating a rules-based global trading regime through
the Doha Development Round in which the needs and concerns
of the developing world are taken into account.
Mr Chairman
Against the above backdrop, I would now like to focus
on some of South Africa's key foreign policy areas,
namely:
· Global Governance;
· Consolidation and implementation of the African
Agenda;
· North-South Dialogue;
· South-South Co-operation; and
· Strengthening of bilateral political and economic
relations
South Africa has, since its re-entry into the United
Nations (UN) family, committed itself to multilateralism
and the recognition of the UN as the primary multilateral
body to ensure collective peace and security, as well
as facilitating economic and social development. In
order to deal effectively with future challenges, South
Africa fully supports the revitalisation and reform
of the principal organs of the UN.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan, appointed
a High-Level Panel in November 2003 "to recommend
clear and practical measures for ensuring effective
collective action on future threats to peace and security".
The South African Government supports the appointment
of the Panel and eagerly awaits its outcome. The principles
guiding South Africa's position with regard to the work
of the Panel are fundamental to the Department's vision
and mission. These include:
· Broader multilateral approaches provide legitimacy
to actions and ensure that solutions to questions of
international peace and security are more sustainable
over the medium to long term.
· Global poverty and under-development are the
principal problems facing the UN and there is a direct
inter-relationship between the maintenance of international
peace and security, and poverty and under-development.
· The multilateral system needs to be enabled
to adequately address the concerns of the major powers
with regard to perceived new threats such as terrorism
and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. If
this is not done, States that have the power to do so,
will act unilaterally or in ad-hoc coalitions outside
the UN system to neutralise such perceived threats.
The terror attacks in the US on September 11, 2001
and subsequent ones across the world have brought the
issue of terrorism to the fore. South Africa fully supports
the global campaign against terrorism within the framework
of the UN and contributes to the efforts of regional
and other multilateral organisations in this regard,
such as Southern African Development Community (SADC)
and the AU, the NAM and Commonwealth.
However, in the international campaign against terrorism,
South Africa regards it as important to also focus on
the root causes of terrorism and to develop appropriate
strategies to address them. In this regard, concerted
efforts must be made to end perennial conflicts such
as those in the Middle East. The international campaign
against terrorism should include a world-wide commitment
to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment. The issue
of terrorism should not push poverty eradication off
the international agenda. Similarly, the combating of
terrorism should not take place at the expense of civil
liberties and human rights.
Closer to home, South Africa has taken concrete actions
to combat international terrorism. For example, the
Inter-Departmental-Counter-Terrorism Working Group,
chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs, coordinates
South Africa's implementation of the various UN Security
Council resolutions, including the compilation of the
country's National Reports to the Security Council.
In addition to this, the Department also coordinates
all actions required to ensure that the country fully
complies with the UN Security Council sanctions regimes.
In addition to terrorism, other global security matters
are high on South Africa's foreign policy agenda and
will remain there for some time to come. South Africa
is deeply concerned about the acts of violence and counter-violence
in Israel/. There is an urgent need for both parties
to meet in order to break this ever-deepening cycle
of violence. The South African Government has repeatedly
called on the UN, members of the Quartet and the international
community to take the necessary steps to ensure commitment
to and implementation of the Road Map.
Similarly, our concerns are with the ordinary people
of Iraq and thus the future of this country remains
high on our international agenda. The continued violence
and instability in that country holds every potential
to derail current efforts to place Iraq on the road
towards peace, stability and prosperity.
We are also deeply concerned at the reports of the
torture of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison
by troops from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).
Such actions are a violation of international law, the
Geneva Conventions, and in contravention of all human
rights instruments and treaties that specifically outlaw
all forms of torture. Our Government has joined international
calls for an expedited independent inquiry into the
conduct of the CPA forces and into other reports that
indicate similar patterns of abuse.
South Africa also believes that the opposition forces
in Iraq should pursue their political objectives through
peaceful means. It is the Iraqi people who suffer in
the current climate of violence and counter-violence,
and it is the future of Iraq that is put into the balance
by an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Considerably
more needs to be done to restore peace and security
in Iraq to effect the smooth transfer of power to the
Iraqi people. This also means the clarification of the
role of the UN in this regard.
In his address to the 58th Session of UN General Assembly
in 2003, President Thabo Mbeki stated that :
"… Matters have evolved in such a manner
that, to our limited understanding, it seems extremely
difficult to resolve the issue of the role of the United
Nations in Iraq, unless we answer the question about
the future of the UN as the legitimate expression of
the collective will of the peoples of the world, the
principal guarantor of international peace and security,
among other global issues. We could say that what is
decided about the role of the UN in Iraq will at the
same time decide what will become of the UN in the context
of its Charter and the important global objectives that
have been taken since the Charter was adopted. "
South Africa remains concerned about the continued
unilateralist tendencies of some key international role-players
on issues of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms
control. This phenomenon has had, amongst others, a
negative impact on the prospects for the entry into
force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT),
the strengthening of the implementation of the Biological
Weapons Convention (BWC) and the future of multilateralism
in the disarmament and non-proliferation arena, in general.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the cornerstone
of nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation
and remains the only international instrument that strives
to not only prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons,
but also contains the legal commitment for their elimination.
South Africa believes that the international community
must redouble its efforts to achieve universal adherence
to the NPT, strengthen the multilateral institutions
responsible for disarmament and non-proliferation issues,
and be vigilant against any steps that could undermine
the determination of the international community to
prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. South
Africa's delegation to the NPT Preparatory Committee
Meeting (PrepCom) in New York in early May 2004, continued
to play a constructive role in paving the way for negotiations
to continue on the Treaty at the 2005 NPT Review Process.
Mr Chairman
To successfully deal with global challenges, we will
also have to look at the structural imbalance in the
global trading system.
At Cancun, in September last year, this situation was
challenged. The emergence of the G20+ was a key development.
The goals of the G20+ were premised on the common objectives
of creating free and fair agricultural markets in international
trade and of bringing an end to trade subsidies.
South Africa is convinced that Cancun provides an opportunity
to place future World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations
on a firm footing.
The occurrence of post-conflict economies especially
in Africa, makes the need for more ODA, a reality that
cannot be ignored. The challenges faced by these post-conflict
economies in terms of reconstruction are enormous and
require the assistance of the international community
by fulfilling their pledge of increased ODA.
Mr Chairman
As mentioned in my introductory remarks earlier, the
future of South Africa is inextricably linked to that
of the African continent.
A fundamental shift in South Africa's foreign policy
occurred in 1994 when the country, for the first time,
became a Member State of the OAU.
In his statement at the OAU Summit in Tunis, former
President Nelson Mandela stated:
"… At this summit meeting in Tunis, we shall
remove from our agenda the consideration of the question
of 'Apartheid South Africa'. Where South Africa appears
on the agenda again, let it be because we want to discuss
what its contribution shall be to the making of the
new African renaissance …There can be no dispute
among us that we must bend every effort to rebuild the
African economies …"
South Africa's national vision of building a united,
non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society is also
part of its striving for the people of our continent.
Coupled with this is the understanding that socio-economic
development cannot take place without political peace
and stability, and inversely, that political peace and
stability are the prerequisite for socio-economic development.
Since joining the Organisation of African Unity (OAU),
the predecessor of the AU, in June 1994, South Africa,
together with other African States, have been seized
with the creation of an environment in which all states
on the continent could achieve their full potential.
A major challenge for South Africa's foreign policy
regarding our Continent, is the consolidation and implementation
of the African Agenda.
In this regard, Southern Africa commands a special
priority in our foreign policy. Since the advent of
a democratic process in 1994, South Africa, together
with other Member States of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC), have been fully involved in the restructuring
of the organisation, with the objective of increasing
its efficiency and effectiveness in order to eliminate
poverty and underdevelopment. In this regard, the following
achievements are worth mentioning:
Ø The rationalisation of 19 sector coordinating
units located in different member states, to four centralised
Directorates at the Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana;
Ø The development and adoption of the SADC Regional
Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), a 15
year development plan for the region, informed by NEPAD;
Ø The development and adoption of the SADC Protocol
on Politics, Defence and Security;
Ø The development and adoption of the Strategic
Indicative Plan of the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security;
Ø The development, finalisation and adoption
of the SADC Mutual Defence Pact; and
Ø The ratification of the SADC Trade Protocol
in January 2000, confirming Member States' common commitment
to the establishment of a Free Trade Area by 2008.
Now the task at hand, is the establishment of the SADC
Common Market and the strengthening of SADC's institutional
capacity.
Mr Chairman
Since the AU Inaugural Summit, South Africa as part
of the AU Troika, has been grappling with the operationalisation
of the AU organs and structures. This included the election
of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, establishing
the working protocols and functioning of the Assembly,
Executive Council and the Permanent Representatives
of the AU. Considerable work was done to ensure the
development and adoption of the Common Defence and Security
Policy, which led to the establishment of the Peace
and Security Council (PSC) of which South Africa is
a member. The PSC is poised to play a significant role
in ensuring the achievement of peace, stability and
security as well as peace-keeping missions in Africa.
South Africa has also contributed to ensuring the successful
inauguration of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) in
Ethiopia in March 2004 and has offered to host this
AU organ.
The establishment of this key political organ of the
African Union is a crucial and necessary step towards
Africa taking control of its own political future.
The prioritization of the formation of this Parliament
is because we recognize that sustained development,
an improvement in the quality of our people's economic
well-being, is inextricably linked to political stability,
democratic governance, conflict prevention and resolution.
Significant work has been done in respect of the ECCOSOC,
the African Court of Justice and the financial institutions
of the AU. Furthermore, we are proud of our contribution
in the campaign to ensure appropriate and adequate representation
of the African women in all the AU structures.
All of these instruments are based on programmes and
projects founded on solid principles of democracy, good
political and economic governance, social justice, respect
for human rights and a culture of tolerance, transparency
and accountability as stipulated in the Constitutive
Act of the AU.
In fulfilling the mandate of the AU, South Africa,
Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and Senegal were instrumental
in the conceptualisation of NEPAD. Through this development
programme, the AU would enhance regional economic growth
and development thereby addressing the twin problems
of poverty and underdevelopment.
NEPAD introduces a voluntary instrument for monitoring
compliance with the principles, priorities and objectives
of the Constitutive Act and other decisions of the AU.
This African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), provides
a mechanism for peer learning and the sharing of information
and best practice.
Mr Chairman
In this regard, I would like to commend SAIIA on the
excellent work done on its NEPAD project, which has
contributed not only in the development of national
positions and initiatives, but also stimulated debate
and understanding of this important undertaking within
civil society and the private sector. This demonstrates,
once again, the value of objective and balanced research
when it comes to foreign policy analyses.
Pursuant to the objectives of the AU and NEPAD, South
Africa firmly believes that Africa's future lies in
the promotion of peace, security, stability, prosperity
and development to benefit all its peoples. The promotion
of these objectives informed South Africa's involvement
in countries such as Angola, Comores, DRC, Lesotho,
Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia,
Ethiopia and Eritrea, to mention but a few.
In this year, we have commemorated the tragic genocide
in Rwanda that occurred in 1994. South Africa fully
supports the view of the Secretary-General of the UN,
Mr Kofi Annan, that decisive action by the international
community in response to future crises would be "the
only fitting memorial" the UN and the world can
offer to those who perished in Rwanda in 1994.
Mr Chairman
This Institute, and all of us, singly and collectively,
have spoken and speak frequently about the phenomenon
of globalisation. We speak of a global village, driven
by recognition of the fact of the integration of all
peoples within a common and interdependent global society.
However, in this global village, we find ourselves living
in different positions in virtually all fields of human
activity: political, economic, social, intellectual
etc. With South Africa's partners in the developing
world, most notably the G-77 and NAM, we have continued
to pursue vigorously the strengthening of South-South
Cooperation.
One such initiative is the India-Brazil-South Africa
Dialogue Forum (IBSA), established in 2003. This forum
provides an important mechanism for the country to advance
its interests with core strategic partners in the developing
world. IBSA aspires to not only promote trilateral cooperation
in areas of mutual interest, but also to be a positive
factor in advancing human development by promoting potential
synergies amongst its members. In addition, IBSA will
strive to play a constructive role in international
affairs to maintain friendly relations with all countries.
The first IBSA Ministerial trilateral was held in India
in March 2004, where it adopted a Plan of Action relating
to, amongst others, transportation, tourism, trade and
investment, defence and energy. South Africa is to host
the 2nd Trilateral in the first quarter of 2005.
Mr Chairman
Bilateral relations between South Africa and the rest
of the world have expanded rapidly over the past decade.
The country now has sound bilateral relations with almost
all the countries within the UN family. This is indicative
of not only the importance we attach to global bilateral
cooperation, but also of the importance that other countries
attach to cooperation with a young, democratic South
Africa.
Looking at our African Continent, the importance of
fostering and maintaining sound bilateral relations
is a priority within our foreign policy. South Africa
can confidently claim that for the first time in its
history, its representation of 34 Missions on the continent
exceeds its representation in any other region of the
world. This representation mirrors the priority afforded
to Africa in our foreign policy.
South Africa's bilateral relations with countries in
the Asia-Pacific, Central Asian and Latin American regions
have expanded significantly over the past decade. These
strong relationships have been used and should continue
to be used to promote both South Africa's bilateral
interests and its multilateral agenda. Another key foreign
policy objective for the future will be to continue
strengthening these relations.
Relations with the EU have improved significantly over
the past five years. Interaction with the EU is taking
place continuously on issues such as UN reforms, non-proliferation
and disarmament, terrorism, international human rights,
increased market access for the South and debt relief.
The enlargement of the EU is also of great importance
to us. Whilst we will continue to promote substantive
relations with the EU on issues of mutual interest,
a special effort is required to expand relations with
the ten new members of the Union.
Regarding relations between South Africa and the US,
it is clear that any engagement with the country has
to recognise its enormous power (political, economic,
military, technical, etc.) We begin from the premise
that a principled relationship with the US is ultimately
to our mutual benefit and is central to South Africa's
growing position in the world.
Mr Chairman
In light of the aforesaid, South Africa's foreign policy
medium-term priorities and objectives will focus on
socio-economic development, global governance, security,
consolidation of the African Agenda, South-South Cooperation
and improved political and economic relations. Central
to this the eradication of poverty will remain one of
the most fundamental challenges of the new millennium.
We are indeed faced with duties, new and old.
There is every reason why South Africa in the next
decade to come should seek to begin to fulfil the thoughts
and indeed prophecy of Pixley ka Seme and to contribute
towards the regeneration of an African continent.
In this regard, I trust that SAIIA will continue to
be our partner and to assist in this endeavour. The
objective analysis, the stimulation of debates and the
educational role that the Institute has adopted over
the years, will be as important in the years to come,
as it had been in the past. I once again congratulate
you on this milestone and wish you all the best for
the future.
Let us together, each in our own way, see that this
country, this continent and this world move forward
into a better future, where all are equal participants
in the great striving of humanity for a better life
for all its various peoples all over the world.
Thank you.
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