Gleneagles Agreement

Press, 28 October 1981, Page 24

Gleneagles Agreement

Sir,—The intention of the Gleneagles agreement and its spirit were to stop sporting contacts with South Africa. If its interpretation is to be degraded to the level of finding loopholes in the letter of it, there is still nothing semantically obscure, as John Barclay claims (October 24), in the wording, which requires the parties to it (one of whom was Mr Muldoon) “... vigorously to combat the evil of apartheid by ’withholding any form of support tor . . . sporting organisations, teams or sportsmen from South Africa . . .” The massive, specially drilled and trained police force, which accompanied the Springboks on their tour, falls precisely within the definition of “any form of support for,” which the agreement specifically prohibits. Has John Barclay contemplated the consequences had only the normal complement of police been present at any of the Springbok games, and would the tour have proceeded had that been the case? Let us declare, “Gleneagles yes! Muldoon no!” — Yours, etc., M. CREEL. October 24, 1981.