A call for Namibia’s immediate independence has been made by Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam and prominent figures ATTENDING THE CCNFERENCE, PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1986
The United Nations assumed direct responsibility for Namibia 20 years ago after revoking the mandate granted to South Africa for administering the territory.
Since then, it has, not without difficulty, established the illegality of South Africa’s presence in Namibia. The international community has long accepted the United Nations’ plan to grant independence to the Namibian people. To this day, efforts to implement this plan have remained in vain. Thus, South Africa continues to occupy Namibia in blatant disregard of the concerted will of the entire international community. It has subjected a new generation of Namibians to racial domination, poverty, and degradation.
South Africa’s occupation of Namibia is an affront to all the principles that civilized nations uphold and strive to defend—self-determination, racial equality, and social justice. The leaders of South Africa, who perpetuate this disgraceful situation, have shown through their actions that they have no regard for the demands of morality and law. It is therefore clear that more pressure must now be exerted on the South African regime. Several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States—both permanent members of the Security Council—as well as the Federal Republic of Germany, are particularly well-positioned to take the necessary measures due to their political and economic prominence and their close ties with South Africa. We deeply regret that they have not yet done so, apparently because they are unwilling to sacrifice the benefits they derive from their economic cooperation with that country.
Southern Africa now faces the following choice: widespread bloodshed or lasting peace. The Namibian people, guided and inspired by the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), their sole legitimate representative, have demonstrated that they can no longer endure the daily violations of human dignity and freedom under the apartheid regime and colonial occupation. We urge all members of the international community to seize this opportunity to grant Namibia its independence—and to end apartheid—through peaceful means, failing which the consequences would be nothing short of catastrophic.
The United Nations plan, approved by the Security Council in its Resolution 435 (1978) of September 29, 1978, constitutes a universally accepted basis for the peaceful settlement of the Namibian question. We pay a heartfelt tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Pérez de Cuéllar, whose determined efforts in recent years have resolved all outstanding issues within this plan. However, South Africa, thereby revealing its fundamental reluctance to transfer power to the Namibian people, has made every effort to prevent its implementation. Since the adoption of the United Nations plan, it has imposed two puppet regimes in Namibia. Another maneuver by the United States and South Africa has been to introduce the concept of “linkage,” making the withdrawal of Cuban troops from Angola a prerequisite for Namibia’s independence.
The Security Council rejected this linkage and declared that Namibia’s independence could not be made dependent on resolving issues unrelated to the United Nations plan. We urge countries capable of influencing the South African regime to convince it, as forcefully as possible, of the urgent necessity of implementing the plan for Namibia’s independence without any conditions.
On the occasion of the International Conference for the Immediate Independence of Namibia, we call upon these countries, which have a long tradition of freedom and justice for their own people, to actively ensure that the Namibian people enjoy the same rights. We believe that the only peaceful means still available to the international community to guarantee Namibia’s immediate independence, based on Security Council Resolution 435 (1978), is the imposition of comprehensive economic sanctions against South Africa. Those who refuse to impose such sanctions are, in effect, endorsing South Africa’s defiance of the United Nations, its oppression and repression in Namibia, and its total disregard for fundamental human rights.
We express our full solidarity with the frontline states that have suffered from South Africa’s policy of aggression and destabilization. These states have made considerable sacrifices without wavering in their support for the Namibian and South African peoples. They are entitled to receive moral, material, and diplomatic assistance from the international community to help them preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any international policy aimed at imposing effective sanctions must be accompanied by appropriate measures to compensate these countries for the negative consequences they may endure. South Africa is using Namibian territory as a base for aggression against the frontline states and other countries in the region.
Our final remarks are addressed to the Namibian people, who have made enormous sacrifices in their struggle against injustice and oppression. We urge them not to lose hope but rather to draw renewed strength in the face of adversity. It would be reassuring to believe that a just cause can triumph solely on the basis of its righteousness. However, this would be an illusion—history has shown that only sustained efforts can guarantee victory. If we redouble our determination, the long-awaited freedom and independence for which the Namibian people have been fighting for over a century will not be delayed much longer.
Abdul Halim KHADDAM
Vice President of the Syrian Arab Republic
Luis ECHEVERRÍA
Former President of Mexico
Msgr. Trevor HUDDLESTON
President of the Anti-Apartheid Movement
Bruno KREISKY
Former Chancellor of Austria
Milka PLANINC
Former Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
Sardar Swaran SINGH
Member of the Governing Board of UNESCO and Former Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs