FEBRUARY 16, 1990
Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished Delegates,
It is with great humility and gratitude that I accept my unanimous election as Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. My election is an honour to my country, Nigeria, and a recognition of our role in the struggle against the obnoxious system of apartheid. I wish to assure you all that we will not let you down in the confidence you have continued to repose in us.
In the annals of recent history few men have stood as tall and as erect as Nelson Mandela, a man who fulfilled the essence of being human; a man who, after more than a quarter of century in prison, refused to bend his beliefs or alter his aspirations; a man who personifies the yearnings of the people of South Africa for freedom, equality and justice, and the yearnings of men and women around the world for dignity and attainment of higher values.
He came out of prison, where he was unjustly incarcerated for 27 long years, with humility and generosity of spirit. He did not talk about revenge, he talked about reconciliation; he did not talk about fear, he talked about hope. The world was moved and stunned before his solemn and majestic comportment which characterized the years of the long confinement and the days of the new restrained freedom. He came out in a country which is still not free. In a country where the colour of the skin limits opportunities and humiliates those who happen to be born black. And yet he came out in a country where the first rays of hope are breaking the dark horizon and where the dawn of a new era is approaching.
Mr. Mandela, in joining his colleagues and his compatriots in the struggle for a new South Africa, will undoubtedly play a leading role. His country and the world was deprived too long of his active leadership. So much was wasted of his life, so much blood was shed of his compatriots, so much suffering was borne by innocent people, so many minds and talents went to rot. Often, for the tree of freedom to grow, blood and sacrifice are needed. In South Africa, the sacrifice has gone on for too long. This is why we all today heave a sigh of relief, we all feel that the moment of vindication is near.
The Special Committee salutes Nelson Mandela, this gallant, wise and courageous man who has become an international symbol of resistance to oppression and injustice. By his uncompromising dedication to his ideals he has had a most profound influence on events in his country and we are certain that he will, within his organisation, within the anti-apartheid forces of his country, be a shepherd to lead his countrymen to freedom - all his countrymen, black and white - and his country to democracy and international respect.
The Special Committee acknowledges the encouraging steps taken by Mr. de Klerk and urges him to implement promptly the remaining measures required for the creation of a climate conducive to negotiations. The unbanning of the organisations and the release of Nelson Mandela and some other political prisoners have been steps in the right direction. These steps should continue. All political prisoners should be released; those in exile should be able to return to their homes. The state of emergency should be lifted; the troops should be removed from the townships; repressive legislation, such as the Internal Security Act, should be repealed. These are the remaining measures that Pretoria should implement promptly to usher the country into genuine negotiations leading to a new constitution inspired by the Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Two months ago the General Assembly adopted a Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in South Africa. The Declaration reflects the world's advice and provides international support to the South African people in their challenge to build a united, non-racial and democratic country.
This Declaration constitutes a moral and political contract that binds the international community to assist the South African people to build a new South Africa. This unprecedented document, unprecedented because it was adopted by a consensus and because it formulates the framework for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in South Africa, also binds the Member States to step up all-round support for the opponents of apartheid, to use concerted and effective measures aimed at applying pressure to ensure a speedy end to apartheid. It also includes an important commitment of the international community not to relax existing measures "until there is clear indication of profound and irreversible changes, bearing in mind the objectives of the Declaration".
This last point should be emphasized. Governments, in addition to their own assessment about the profoundness of changes, have to respect the objective criteria which emanate from the substance of the Declaration and to which they themselves have agreed. In this context, the Special Committee regrets the recent announcements by the British Government of its unilateral relaxation of a number of hitherto imposed measures, namely the lifting of the cultural and academic boycott, the discontinuation of the policy of discouraging new investments in South Africa, as well as tourism to that country. While the Special Committee acknowledges the need for encouraging the ongoing process towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict, it deems entirely premature any form of relaxation of existing measures.
At this stage, we are at the beginning of the process. For this process to succeed the pressures on the authorities of South Africa must not be relaxed. Mr. Mandela himself was clear on this point. He, along with all the democratic forces in the country, need the support of the international community in their monumental task. The time will come for rewards. Now is the time for encouraging the process and maintaining a concerted pressure. The road ahead of us is promising but still fraught with dangers.
Our joy today should not retract from our vigilance. Nelson Mandela whose release from prison we celebrate today will demand no less of us. We owe it to the South African people, we owe it to the countless victims of apartheid, we owe it to our conscience, and to the world.