GCIS PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA BRIEFING
MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY
12 September 2001
Questions by the media and replies by the Minister:
(Q) Are we really going to see anything happening if the Racism Conference recommendations are not binding?
(A) The Chairperson's text was adopted and we voted on a position put forth by Syria. We found wording that satisfied the three sides. It would be hard to answer whether or not there will be an impact. However, it should be noted that the talks enabled positions to be taken, which would be implemented. Resolutions form the basis for further discussion, although they are not binding, they will impact on later discussions.
The Minister further noted that the other important function of these resolutions was that they have a universal reflection of South Africa. He hoped that the resolutions will have a positive impact.
(Q) Are there any concerns about resonance from the Washington attack, given the urban terror campaign in the Western Cape?
(A) I recommend the media briefing by Minister of Transport on this matter (Security in our Airways). It should also be noted that there is no need for an act of political violence to be expressed now, in the future or in the past.
(Q) Is the government concerned about social tensions rising amongst South African communities?
(A) South Africans were remarkably mature in the way they have responded to developments and events in Durban. A trainload of people travelled from Cape Town to Durban and peacefully demonstrated at the Racism Conference. It is remarkable that there were no physical clashes. The Jewish Defence League in London hoped that these issues could be discussed to prevent further exacerbation. We must work at reducing these tensions.
The Minister commented that many people were surprised that within the Jewish community and even among the deeply religious believers there are different views. He noted that Steven Freidman's input had quite an impact, which encompassed some of the critical issues in a very concentrated way.
(Q) Many feel that Americans are arrogant especially in the wake of the World Racism Conference, some believe that this can be the cause of the recent attack. Can you share the South African government's feeling regarding avoiding tensions?
(A) The US had not attended the two previous conferences in which apartheid was going to be declared a crime against humanity. The US did not want to single out one country. The issues that confronted us in Durban did not go away, they will come up again. The Middle East issue is alleged to have taken more time in these international forums. It must be noted that the Middle East provides the bulk of oil, they are an important feature in the world and in international forums. The Middle East holds great strategic significance for world peace.
Appendix
PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING BY DR EG PAHAD, MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY, 12 September 2001
WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM
A tribute to South Africa
Looking back on the WCAR now that it is over, South Africans can take pride in the recognition from many quarters of our contribution to the success of an enormously challenging conference.
The choice of our country as the venue was from the start a tribute to the achievement of the South African people in partnership with the international community in overcoming the apartheid system - in turning from a history of conflict, division and oppression to the building of peace, tolerance and dignity.
Tolerance and negotiations key to forging a consensus declaration. We believe that we did justify the confidence of UN and the international community.
Mary Robinson, Secretary General to the Conference, commented at one point that "South Africa has taught us the importance of tolerance".
There is no doubt that the lessons of our own experience in finding negotiated solutions where most observers saw only irresolvable conflict served the conference well and helped produce a declaration which will prove to have historical importance.
Achieving the declaration called for mutual compromise, for tolerance and respect of one another's positions. There had to be a focus on the fundamental values and needs we share rather than lesser, albeit important, differences.
For South Africa, reconciling the imperatives of our international role as host and President of the conference with our own national positions on the issues before the conference did in some cases mean shifting our positions.
At the same time the immense goodwill of the rest of the world towards South Africa also helped foster a climate conducive to forging a consensus declaration from the many positions represented.
A broad agenda for action
Though the world's media focused on two issues, which did play a major part in the conference - the Middle East and reparations for slavery and colonialism - the conference itself and its legacy are much broader than that.
Putting Africa and the developing world high on the international agenda
We are especially pleased at how debate on reparations evolved in the conference. The conference acknowledged that slavery and the slave trade including the transatlantic slave trade are a crime against humanity and should always have been so. The conference declaration went on to call on all states to be aware of the moral obligation to take appropriate and effective measures to halt and reverse the lasting consequences of these practices. The world conference urged international financial and development institutions to give greater priority and to allocate appropriate funding for programmes addressing the development challenges of the affected states and societies.
As with our own TRC the fundamental issue is restoration of dignity and the expression of a commitment on the part of those nations that benefited to make a contribution in partnership with Africa and the developing world to eradicating the legacy of slavery and colonialism through for instance support for MAP.
Our approach puts development at the forefront of efforts to create a world without racism and other forms of discrimination. The adoption of this approach in the declaration will be of immense importance for Africa and the developing world.
For the first time, all the victims have spoken on the record.
The conference achieved another historic milestone. Never again can the international community say of any group or people that we do not know of the racism, discrimination, xenophobia or other forms of intolerance that they suffer.
The conference puts on the agenda of every country and every international and multilateral agency the challenge of eradicating the suffering to which the conference bore testimony.
The outcome reinforces our belief that it was not necessary for the United States and Israel to leave the conference before it finished its work - but we also believe and hope that they will throw their weight behind the Declaration and play their part in helping the world meet the challenges of implementing it.
The Middle East
We were under no illusions that the problems of the Middle East could have been resolved at the World Conference. The Declaration nevertheless managed to capture the principled positions of all parties concerned. Although it was adopted with reservations, the very fact that we were able to arrive at some formulations acceptable to everyone reflects the spirit of tolerance engendered by the conference.
The challenges of implementation
That challenge of implementation is also something for South Africans.
As part of its communications work around the conference, GCIS monitored domestic and international media coverage.
As already noted, it is gratifying to take stock at the end of it all that South Africa's role is positively viewed almost without exception.
But one pattern that did emerge, particularly in our own media, was that the welcome increase in attention to the current state of racism, discrimination and xenophobia in our country was however focused almost exclusively on the present rather than on the roots of these social scourges or, more importantly still, on the steps that can be taken to eradicate them.
Democracy brought us the possibility of starting the task of eradicating these legacies of our history. We would encourage the media to keep the conference and its Declaration before the South African public - and in particular to focus on and interrogate and debate the challenges of implementation that it brings. That would help us as a nation to advance still further along the road to our goal of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
The impact on Durban - and Durban's contribution
Finally, and also important, as we take stock of such events, we should also recognise the economic impact that it had on the city of Durban and therefore on the country - and we should pay tribute to the city and people of Durban for doing what they did to help make it a successful conference - and to ensure that so many delegates and journalists left with a positive view of our country and wishing to return.
Issued by The Presidency
12 September 2001