West pots Namibia plan to S. Africa

Press, 28 October 1981, Page 8

West pots Namibia plan to S. Africa

NZPA-Reuter Cape Town

A mission from the Western “contact group,” including the American Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Mr Chester Crocker) arrives today for discussions with the South African Government on constitutional proposals for the disputed territory of Namibia (South-West Africa).

Documents containing the proposals were delivered yesterday in Cape Town and the Namibian capital of Windhoek, and the South African Foreign Minister (Mr Roelof “Pik” Botha) said they had already been discussed in Cape Town at top level.

■ A Foreign Ministry statement yesterday said Mr Botha would meet representatives. of the “contact group” tomorrow.

The issues outlined in the document must then be discussed with the Pretoriabacked internal political par-

ties in Namibia, the statement said.

“Only then would the South African Government be able to determine its attitude towards these principles,” it said.

After talks in South Africa the mission will go to Windhoek for two days before visiting Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.

The tour by the “contact group” — the United States, Britain, France, Canada and West Germany — is the latest effort to speed an independence settlement for Namibia, ruled by South Africa in defiance of most world opinion. The proposals were supposed to be confidential, but the South African press published what was described as the leaked text of the Western plan. The plan calls for a constitutional assembly “elected so as to ensure fair representation in that body to different political groups.” The

assembly would write a constitution for the new State, including a “bill of rights.” The constitution would have to be adopted by a majority of at least two-thirds of the assembly members. Other proposals included a three-branch system of government — executive, legislative, and an independent judiciary. The provision for a twothirds majority would make it difficult for the South-West Africa People’s Organisation, the black nationalist group fighting South Africa for control of Namibia, to disregard other parties in forming a new State. Most observers believe that S.W.A.P.O. would win free elections but would probably not be able to gain a two-thirds majority in a constitutional assembly. White conservatives immediately criticised the proposals as vague and lacking in safeguards for minority groups. A black splinterparty leader praised the plan.