From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:North-South, South Africa viewed as
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:54:25 GMT

/* Written  9:07 am  Apr  6, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "NORTH-SOUTH: SOUTH AFRICA VIEWED AS" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Africa, southern; Europe, western
Title: NORTH-SOUTH: SOUTH AFRICA VIEWED AS A ''LABORATORY TEST CASE''


bern, switzerland, apr 3 (ips) -- south africa can be viewed as a
''laboratory test case'' for future north-south relations,
according to a swiss parliamentary delegation which returned here
this week from a fact finding mission to that country.

''this country is a sort of 21st century north-south laboratory.
if south africa can make it, it means that solutions also exist
elsewhere in the south. if not, it will mean enormous conflicts
everywhere,'' said pascal couchepin, president of the radical
''free democratic'' party grouping in the upper and lower
chambers.

noting that five of the region's major ports were all situated in
south africa, the swiss parliamentarian said the surrounding
african nations ''needed'' south africa.

''south africa has a calling to be the pole of development in
southern africa, if the democratic transition is successful,''
couchepin told a press conference when the group returned
thursday.

couchepin led an eight-member delegation of swiss deputies
representing the country's main political parties. they spent ten
days in south africa meeting with officials from various political
parties at the end of which they concluded that the reform process
was unlikely to provoke a civil war.

''yes, some of the whites on the extreme right would take to
arms...they told us so openly,'' couchepin noted. ''for these
people, resistance outside the law is the only solution. but the
risk of civil war is very limited...this violent resistance will
be individual,'' he added.

couchepin added that the swiss delegation had also met with the
conservative party group, who support the creation of a white
''homeland'' in a corner of the country.

asked to describe the feelings of the anti-reform whites in the
wake of the ''yes'' vote to the march 18 referendum, couchepin
said this group reminded them of the ''traditional'' swiss farmer
''who believes that everything in the world is in order and who
opposes an opening to europe''.

he added: ''because of that, they think they have a right to say
'no' to change because of two to three centuries of divine
protection.''

couchepin's reference to the farmer concerned opposition in
traditional, conservative parts of rural switzerland, to the
country's membership in the european community.(more/ips)

north-south: south africa viewed as a ''laboratory test case''(2-e)

north-south: south africa (2)

the radical party leader also said there was a definite need for
foreign aid, but this should only be given when there were more
definite signs of ''long-term political security''.

in this regard, he said, ''the proportion between blacks and
whites in the government will change nothing. what is needed is a
liberal economic policy.''

at this time, he said the best contribution the swiss government
could make in terms of assistance would be to promote human rights
and encourage dialogue between the various groups. the swiss
should also assist in the areas of education and small private
enterprises, he said.

switzerland has in the past refused to go along with u.n.
sanctions against south africa. this was not because of
switzerland's continued refusal to become a member of the united
nations, but rather due to government policy, which has always
deemed sanctions as counter-productive.

swiss banks in particular, but major industrial companies as
well, have for a long time been criticised for maintaining
business ties with the minority white government in pretoria.

international organisations, such as the world council of
churches, actually closed accounts with swiss banks which gave
loans to the pretoria government.

national newspapers thus paid close attention to the
parliamentarians' visit to south africa, with the ''geneva
tribune'' calling on the government to ''increase its assistance
for change''.

among others, the swiss parliamentarians met with south africa's
constitutional development minister, gerrit viljoen, and anc vice-
president walter sisulu, both of whom are members of the
convention for democratic south africa (codesa).

codesa is a representative body charged with drawing up a power-
sharing structure in accordance with the referendum on reforms
agreed upon last december. (end/ips/ip/jc/cpg/92)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african