CONFIDENTI
SECRETARY OF STATE'S MEETING WITH COMMONWEALT. RIGA 20% I
21 NOVEMBER
CONTRIBUTION FOR SPEECH
SOUTHERN AFRICA
ESSENTIAL FACTS
1
Commonwealth countries remain concerned at events in Southern
Africa, particularly given recent developments (implementation ci
new South African constitution, associated violence, unrest in blacı
townships, recent successful stay away from work on 5 and 6
November, arrests of UDF and other opposition leaders). All
Commonwealth High Commissioners sit on the Commonwealth Committee on Southern Africa, a London-based body comprising representatives of
all Commonwealth countries and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
meets twice a year to discuss Southern African issues, focussing on
South Africa and Namibia. The radical majority view tends to
predominate in its proceedings.
It
SOUTH AFRICA INTERNAL
9
2 New Constitution: Commonwealth High Commissioners will be
critical of UK's refusal to condemn the new constitution (we
abstained on recent General Assembly and Security Council
resolutions declaring the new constitution "null and void"). We acknowledge the serious shortcomings of the new arrangements in making no provisions for blacks. But nonetheless believe they
should be given the test of time to see whether they could lead to a wider more genuine and fundamental reform affecting the black
majority. No other reforms are on offer. Although a Cabinet
Committee has been discussing the question of urban blacks it has
not yet reported, and in any case is unlikely to recommenā
involvement of blacks at the national political level.
We
3 The UK's view of recent events in South Africa, notwithstanding
our attitude to the new constitution, has not been uncritical.
expressed concern to the SAG on 27 August about the arrests and
CONFIDENTIAL