S/PV.2007 Security Council

The Security Council will now resume consideration of the question on its agenda. I recall that, after considering this matter at its 1981st and 1982nd meetings, held on 21 and 22 December 1976, the Council adopted resolution 402 (1976). The Council now has before it document S/12315 of 30 March 1977, in which the Secretary-General transmits the report of the Mission sent to Lesotho in pursuance of that resolution. I would also draw the attention of the Council to document S/12325, which contains the text of a letter dated 18 April 1977 from the Secretary-General to all States. Furthermore, I would draw the attention of the Council to document S/12335, which contains the text of a draft resolution introduced by Senin, India, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius, Pakistan, Panama and Romania. 4. I now call on the Secretary-General, who will introdude the report.

In its resolution 402 (1976), the Security Council appealed to all States to provide financial, technical and material assistance to Lesotho to enable it to overcome the economic difficulties arising from South Africa’s closure of certain border posts between that country and Lesotho. I was requested to organize a programme of international assistance to Lesotho and to keep the situation under constant review. Furthermore, I was asked to maintain close liaison in this matter with Member States and regional and other inter governmental organizations, as well as with the specialized agencies and international fmancial institutions, and to report to the Council at its subsequent meeting on the question. 6. It is within that context that I wish to submit for the consideration of the Security Council the report [see S/1231.5/ of a mission which I appointed to visit Lesotho in January for the purpose of obtaining an assessment of assistance required by that country as a preliminary step to the organization of an international programme of assistance. 7. As will be seen from the report, the Mission ekamined in detail the present economic situation in Lesotho. It is quite evident from the description of the economic conditions prevailing in Lesotho that the country has a fragile economy and is greatly dependent on external sources for the majority of its vital goods and services. 8. This report is not the first that has been prepared by the United Nations on the economy of Lesotho. In the months preceding its independence in 1966, a Mission dispatched by the General Assembly found that the country was confronted with a deplorable economic and 9. In the circumstances, the closure of the border posts, as well as other measures taken by South Africa, have seriously compounded those problems. That is why it is vital for Lesotho to receive from the international community the assistance necessary for its economic progress. It is only by those means that the country will be able to increase its capacity to implement the resolutions on apartheid and bantustans and to overcome the economic difficulties with which it is faced. 10. Of the many problems faced by Lesotho, I should like to emphasize the problem relating to migrant employment in the Republic of South Africa. Last year it was estimated that South Africa provided employment for 175,000 workers from Lesotho, of whom 126,000 worked in the mines. While their earnings constitute a substantial part of the national income, Lesotho’s dependence on that income obviously creates political, economic and social problems. 11. In 1974, I was approached by the Government of Lesotho with a request for urgent assistance in the resettlement of 10,000 mine workers who had suddenly returned to Lesotho as a result of disturbances in the mines. In my view, there is an urgent need for that Government to prepare for the day when there will be a return of migrant workers from South Africa, either for political or economic reasons or because of increasing automation. This problem by itself would overburden the scarce resources of Lesotho. It is my hope therefore that the international community will co-operate with the Government of Lesotho in generating labour-intensive projects which will be able to absorb large bodies of returning migrant workers and also increase employment opportunities. 12. As members of the Council will observe, the recommendations in the report of the Mission are grouped under two headings: the emergency programme and the accelerated development programme. The cost of the projects included in the emergency programme amounts to $66 million. Those projects are primarily concerned with the development of internal road transport facilities in the south and south-east of the country, with external and internal civil aviation, and with increasing food supplies both by agricultural development and by the establishment of substantial reserves of basic food grams. 13. The accelerated development programme comprises selected projects the cost of which amounts to $47 million. Their implementation would quickly contribute to strengthening Lesotho’s economy and thereby diminish its dependence on South Africa. The programme places heavy 15. I have designated the Assistant Secretary-General for Special Political Questions to be responsible at Headquarters for co-ordinating action by the United Nations system as a whole. His office, which will work in close co-operation with the Government of Lesotho, will serve as a clearing-house for information on all aspects of the assistance programme. 16. I had the opportunity earlier today of meeting the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lesotho and discussing with him further measures for mobilizing assistance to his country. I informed him that on 6 June next I would convene a meeting at Headquarters of representatives of Governments and organizations interested in participating in the programmes of assistance recommended in the report of the Mission. 17. I cannot overemphasize the fact that Lesotho is a country in need of considerable financial and economic support, and I would urge all States and organizations which are in a position to assist to do so.

I salute the presence among us of His Excellency Mr. Charles Molapo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lesotho. 19. On 26 October 1976, when the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon all States not to recognize the so-called independence of the Transkei [resolution 31/6A,f, many of us knew that States bordering on South Africa would expose themselves to considerable danger by complying with that resolution should the Government of South Africa apply economic measures to coerce them into giving recognition to the Transkei. The most vulnerable of those States is Lesotho, which not only suffers the handicap of being land-locked but is also land-locked within the territory over which the South Africa racist regime exercises power and control. 20. AS expected, South Africa did exert pressure. Matters came to a head in December when the Government of Lesotho found it necessary to lodge a formal complaint in the Council [S/l 225 71. 21. The Foreign Minister of Lesotho at the time presented the Council with a description of the measures which South Africa had found fit to take against his small country in an effort to compel it to acquiesce in the apartheid policies of the South African Government and to accord recognition He added that for Lesotho recognition of the so-called independent Transkei “would be not only an approval of the racist apartheid policies of South Africa but also an actual and active participation in the oppression of the black majority of South Africa”. 26. Paragraph 20 of the report draws attention to the fact that, on the eve of Lesotho’s independence, the General Assembly recognized even then the special geopolitical situation in which the new State was to be placed and “the deplorable economic and social situation” which confronted the country, arising primarily from its underdevelopment. The report continues: His country chose to defy South Africa. 22. The Foreign Minister of Lesotho then went on to describe the political, economic and social problems which the Transkei’s so-called independence would cause for Lesotho. In order to provide Lesotho with a capacity to resist some of the pressures that were being applied to it, the Minister asked for an international programme of assistance that would make it possible for the population to travel from one part of the Country to another without having to travel via South African roads or those located in the Transkei. He also asked for economic assistance to provide Lesotho with the necessary services and infrastructure that would enable the courageous people of that country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on South Africa for those basic needs for which it has the capacity, if assisted, to fulfil. “Since then, Lesotho’s difficulties have been compounded by South Africa’s determination to implement its apartheid and bantustan policies, The designation of the Transkei as a so-called independent State on Lesotho’s borders not only presents serious problems but provides additional opportunities for pressures by South Africa.” 27. I recall that, at the time that the Government of Lesotho complained that South Africa had closed three border posts through which. traffic entering or leaving Lesotho passed, there were contradictory press statements to the effect that the border posts had not been closed and were in fact functioning. So I am glad that the Ad&ion was able to visit two of these posts and ascertain the situation. Paragraphs 23-31 of the report deal with this aspect quite clearly. There is no doubt in my mind that South Africa, by removing its border officials and closing down the border facilities which it was obliged to maintain under agreements, has in fact closed the three border posts. It is not sufficient to state that, because they are now being manned by officials of the so-called independent Transkei, those posts are functioning under normal conditions. Because of the absence of alternative routes, traffic has to pass under duress. Quite rightly, as is indicated in paragraph 28, the Lesotho Government’s non-interference with such traffic “in no way implied its recognition of the Transkei rbgime”. 23. The Security Council, at its meeting on 22 December 1976, unanimously adopted a resolution /402 (19 76)] condemning any action by South Africa intended to coerce Lesotho into according recognition to the bantustan Transkei. It called upon South Africa to reopen the border posts to the Transkei and appealed to all States to provide financial, technical and material assistance to Lesotho SO that it could carry out its economic development programmes and enhance its capacity to implement fully the United Nations resolutions on apartheid and bantustans. 24. My Government, like other Governments, welcomed the Security Council resolution at the time. Today we are here to discuss the letter of appeal [S/12325] which the Secretary-General has addressed to all Member States and to regional and intergovernmental organizations for contributions to assist Lesotho in developing a capacity which would enable it to resist social and economic pressures by South Africa and to build the necessary economic infrastructure which would assure for the people of Lesotho an economy that would utilize the natural resources of the country to the maximum extent possible and make it less dependent on services and products which it has the capacity to develop itself. 28. Anyone who has read the report of the Mission cannot fail to be concerned by Lesotho’s remarkable dependence on South Africa for the employment of a great proportion of its population. Neither can one fail to be concerned by Lesotho’s dependence on South Africa for most of its food and consumer, manufactured and industrial goods, as well as social, technical and economic services. It is very unhealthy for Lesotho to be dependent on migrant employment in South Africa, as is the case today. 1 note from paragraph 47 of the report that, in 1976, 175,000 nationals of Lesotho, representing one third of Lesotho’s labour force, were employed in South Africa. I am glad to note from paragraph 53 that the long-term aim of the Government is to make it possible for all Basotho to earn a living in their own country. Of course, in a problem of this magnitude, 25. I should like to express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for having sent such a competent team to Lesotho to assess the situation and provide us with an objective picture of conditions as well as of needs. As the report of the Mission indicates /see S/12315], Lesotho’s 29. In view of the special character of Lesotho’s social and economic needs and the particular urgency of some of them, it is my delegation’s view that the approach taken by the Mission represented a most constructive and realistic way of coming to grips with the situation. Paragraphs 114116 of the report describe the concept of the emergency programme as well as the accelerated development programme. The emergency programme, I note, is concerned with the development of internal road transport facilities in the south and south-east, with internal and external civil aviation, and with the strengthening of food supplies. It also provides for some development in telecommunications and in health facilities. I am sure that the sum of $66 million, which would cover all projects under the emergency programme, is both a fair and a realistic figure, the raising of which should present no difficulty to the international community. 30. The accelerated development programme places heavy emphasis on road transport and agricultural development. It also includes development projects for hydro-electric power, education, health services, industry and mining. The total cost of projects under the accelerated development programme would be $47 million. Again, this is a figure which is well substantiated and justified by the evidence accumulated by the Mission, and assistance of this scale is particularly necessary if Lesotho is to be provided with a capacity to carry out its economic development programmes, withstand unfair pressures by South Africa, and enhance its capacity to implement fully United Nations resolutions on apartheid and bantustans. 31. Having made those remarks, I now have the privilege of introducing, on behalf of the non-aligned members of the Council, the draft resolution in document S/12335. So far, the sponsors of the draft resolution are Benin, India, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius, Pakistan, Panama and Romania. I hope it will be adopted unanimously by the Council. The preambular paragraphs of the resolution are straightforward and require no comment by me. In the operative paragraphs, the Council would: as in the case of an earlier resolution, commend the Government of Lesotho for its decision not to recognize the so-called independent Transkei. The draft resolution would have the Council express its appreciation to the Secretary-General as well as to the Mission which he appointed to visit Lesotho for the excellent work produced. It would have the Council fully endorse the assessment and recommendations of the Mission as well as the appeal made by the Secretary-General to all States for immediate assistance to Lesotho. Furthermore, it contains a request to the United Nations and other concerned organizations, including various organs of the United Nations system, to assist Lesotho in the fields identified in the report of the Mission. Finally, the draft resoIution would have the Council request the Secretary General to give this question his continued attention and to keep the Council informed.

The next speaker is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lesotho, His Excellency Mr. Charles Molapo. I welcome him and give him the floor. 34. Mr. C. D. MOLAPO (Lesotho): Mr. President, allow me to extend to you my sincere congratulations upon your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of May. It is proper and fitting that this debate on Lesotho should be conducted under your presidency. You dedication and diplomatic skills as an illustrious son of Africa and a representative of the sister country of Benin, with which we enjoy the best of relations, is an assurance that you will guide our deliberations to a successful conclusion. May I thank you and, through you, the members of the Council for giving me this opportunity to address the Council. 35. I should also like to express, on behalf of my delegation, a warm welcome to the new Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations and to wish him well in his new appointment. 36. I wish also to thank the Secretary-General for his statement in introducing the report now before the Council. 37. Five months ago, I brought to the attention of the Council [1981st meeting] a grave situation that had been created by the Government of the Republic of South Africa by the establishment of the so-called independent Transkei along the south-eastern borders of our country. At that time, I explained in clear and no uncertain terms the problems that my people were facing. I mentioned that, since 26 October 1976, the Government of the Republic of South Africa had unilaterally closed three border posts -namely, Qacha’s Nek, Ramats’eliso’s Gate and Tele Bridge-which lie along the border of what is called the Republic of the Transkei. Representatives will recall that the Council, at the end of its deliberations, adopted by consensus resolution 402 (1976), in which, inter a&, it requested the Secretary-General to organize all forms of financial, technical and material assistance to Lesotho to enable it to overcome the economic difficulties arising from the closure of the border posts by South Africa owing to our refusal to recognize the so-called independence of the Transkei. In pursuance of that resolution, the Secretary- General appointed a mission to visit Lesotho to assess the situation and formulate appropriate recommendations. 38. We have now heard the Secretary-General introduce the report [see S/1231.5] of the Mission which he dispatched to Lesotho in January 1977. The Mission was under the very able leadership of Mr. Farah, Assistant Secretary-General for Special Political Questions. We were honoured to act as host to the Mission for 18 busy days, 40. There are challenges and heavy obligations still being imposed on Lesotho for not according recognition to the bogus independence of the Transkei. Land-locked countries have special problems created by their geographic position, but Lesotho experiences the full measure of those problems because it is not or11y land-locked but also surrounded by a single State which is racist and apartheid-ridden. I wish to put on record that, since I last addressed the Council, the situation has not improved but has grown worse. My people continue to suffer acts of harassment and intimidation at the hands of the South African police, which is now conducting South African policy vis-&vis Lesotho. The normal flow of goods and the movement of people to and from Lesotho through the three border posts continues to be hampered and interfered with. Those who practise apartheid spit their venom on us. More recently, our people have been arrested and at times refused entry into South Africa at border posts other than those that are the subject of the problem which we presented to the Council. In all these instances they are told that they must be prepared to suffer the consequences of the Lesotho Government’s refusal to accord recognition to the bantustan of the Transkei. In this regard, I should like to mention a few incidents just to illustrate my point. 41. On 22 April, a young Mosotho girl 17 years of age was wounded on the Lesotho side of the border by a white South African shooting from the South African side of the border. On 30 April, a Lesotho citizen who was returning home to Lesotho from South Africa was beaten up and thrown off a moving train by South African Railway officials. Two weeks ago, a junior South African police officer decided, allegedly without the knowledge of Pretoria, to stop our people from going into a South African border town for shopping purposes. In aII these instances, Pretoria’s reply is that they are investigating. 46. A draft resolution will be submitted for your consideration, and my delegation hopes that it will enjoy the maximum support of the Council, thus enabling the Secretary-General to fulfil his mandate undei resolution 402 (1976). My Government and the people of Lesotho have confidence in the members of the Council and, justifiably, have high expectations that the, Council in its wisdom will again not fail us in this hour of need. 42. These types of incidents can happen between any two neighbouring States, but in our case their intensity and frequency have increased since 26 October 1976. It is quite obvious to us that South Africa has embarked on a policy of coercing Lesotho into recognizing its nefarious bantustans. As I stated before, we shall be cowed; we reject and shall never accept racism, apartheid or the bantustanization of South Africa. The Council’s adoption of this report and 43. It is because of this that we express our hope that the Council will adopt the report unanimously. The adoption of this report would be a firm commitment on the part of the world community to the just struggle against apartheid in all its manifestations and a reaffirmation of the rights of all South Africans in South Africa as a whole and a complete rejection of the bantustanization and balkanization of South Africa. 44. Last year, the Council Iistened to our plea; this time we are requesting it to adopt the Secretary-General’s report and recommendations resulting from that plea. The report sets out the financial, economic and material assistance we urgently need. It is with great pleasure that I have to inform you that, since the adoption of resolution 402 (1976), some Member States have already made positive responses. Some have promised to increase their bilateral aid to Lesotho, while others have promised to channel their aid through multilateral organizations. We are grateful to those countries and request them and others to respond favo-urably to the appeal of the Secretary-General contained in his letter of 18 April 1977 [S/12325], which announced the establishment of a special account at the United Nations. 45. With your permission, Mr, President, I should like to thank the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United States of America, Iran and other friendly Governments that have expressed interest in coming to our assistance. Multinational organizations like the European Economic Community and the Arab Fund for Development have already made definite fmancial commitments to help Lesotho to overcome the problems it is facing. My Government and people are optimistic ‘that many other countries which have not yet done so will also respond favourably to the Secretary-General’s letter of appeal and to contacts that have been and are being made by my Government in this hour of need in the life of our nation.

I call next on the representative of Sierra Leone, who viill speak in his capacity as Chairman of the African Group for the month of May, I invite him to take a place at the Council table and to make his statement. 48. Mr, NICOL (Sierra Leone): Sir, I have the rare opportunity of addressing the Council twice in one day ‘in my capacity as Chairman of the African Group. I have 49. Permit me at this point to express gratitude to the members of the Council through you, Sir, for allowing me to address this body on behalf of the African Group. 50. During the thirty-first session of the General Assembly, on 26 October 1976 to be precise, resolution 31/6 A was adopted, by which the Assembly rejected the so-called independence of the Transkei and declared it invalid. The resoIution went further, cafling on all Governments to deny recognition to the so-called independent Transkei and to refrain from having any dealings with it or other bantustans. The Kingdom of Lesotho happens to have common borders with the Transkei. In order to pressure Lesotho into recognizing the Transkei, the Government of South Africa maliciously ciosed the border posts between Lesotho and the Transkei. Movement to and fro through those border posts is governed by formal agreements between Lesotho and South Africa. Apart from the fact that the closure of those border posts is a breach of international law on goods in transit and a threat to peace and security in the region, that wicked act is also causing hardship and economic loss to a great proportion of the population of Lesotho. 51. The problem confronting us was discussed in detail in the Council on 21 and 22 December last. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Lesotho, who presented Lesotho’s complaint I1981 st meeting], gave a detailed account of the effect of the closure of the border posts, and appealed to the international community for economic assistance to enable Lesotho to continue its development programme while at the same time fully implementing United Nations resolutions on apartheid and bantustans. 52. At the conclusion of the debate, resolution 403 (1976) was adopted unanimously. In accordance with the terms of this resolution, the Secretary-General dispatched a Mission to the Kingdom of Lesotho to assess the assistance required so that a programme of financial assistance could be arranged. The report subsequently compiled, contained in document S/12315 of 30 March 1977, identifies areas where assistance is necessary to enable Lesotho to continue its development programmes and at the same time adhere to United Nations resolutions on apartheid and bantustans. The report also contain ideas on the assistance required to help Lesotho overcome the Litho in United Nations, New York Price: $U.S. 1.00 (or equivalent in other currencies) 77-~OOOI-March 1978-2200 54. The Mission has recommended assistance for 46 projects, grouped under two distinct programmes of devel. opment. They are, first, the emergency programme, estimated to cost $65,890,000 and, secondly, the accelerated development programme, with a total cost of $46,940,000. The Government of Lesotho itself can only finance a small percentage of these development programmes. Lesotho will therefore depend heavily on international programmes of assistance to be able to overcome its economic difficulties. In this regard, I strongly endorse the appeal made by the Secretary-General in his letter [S/1232.5] in which he requested all States to give immediate financial, technical and material assistance to Lesotho. A further appeal is also directed to the United Nations and its specialized agencies to render assistance in the areas mentioned in the report of the Mission. 55, The representative of Mauritius has already introduced a non-controversial draft resolution [S/12335] for the Council’s consideration and adoption. In my capacity as Chairman of the African Group, I am appealing to the members of the Council to adopt that draft resolution unanimously as a logical consequence to resolution 402 (1976), which was unanimously ddopted by the Council. Such an act would not only demonstrate international solidarity with Lesotho’s cause but would go a long way towards finding a solution to Lesotho’s economic problems. 56. Lesotho’s problems should not be considered in isolation. They are the direct effect of the apartheid system of government prevalent in South Africa. sin order to continue its inhuman racial policies and propagate its divide-and-rule policy, the Government of South Africa has created the system of bantustans. South Africa’s aim is to pressure the surrounding African States into recognizing those so-called independent bantustan territories. The international community should stand firm by its principles and not give recognition to any of those bantustan territories. The first opportunity that has been given to us to demonstrate our condemnation of South Africa’s bantustan policy is now, when Lesotho needs our assistance. Let us with solidarity and with one voice attack Lesotho’s economic problems in order successfully to avert South Africa’s pressures on Lesotho to recognize the so-called independent Transkei. The meeting rose at 4.45 pm -~~ ~__ ~.