6 days ago
From The Hindu, June 4, 1975: Namibia: India demands sanctions against S. Africa
New York, June 3: India's Permanent Representative at the U.N., Mr. Rikhi Jaipal, has told the Security Council that 'there is a clear case' for imposing mandatory measures under the Charter against South Africa for its refusal to quit Namibia.
Intervening in the Council's discussions on Namibia yesterday, he said the U.N. was fully justified to take these measures since all other steps had failed.
The mandatory measures envisaged by him, though not specifically stated at the Council meeting, included an arms embargo, economic sanctions and severance of diplomatic relations with South Africa by all member States.
Although India is not a member of the Council, it asked for the floor to reaffirm its views on the Namibian question. India has supported the case of the Namibian people for self-determination and independence right from the start.
Mr. Jaipal said that the crux of the Namibian issue was the Security Council's resolution calling on South Africa to withdraw its illegal presence from the area and to transfer power to the people of Namibia 'with the assistance of the U.N.' But, he said, quite simply, the Pretoria Government 'does not accept that the U.N. has any role in Namibia.'
'We are thus in a quandary. The territory has international status but the U.N. has no effective role concerning it or the future of its people. There is a conflict here between 'de jure' responsibility and 'de facto' authority.'
