Special Hearings — Chemical And Biological Warfare Hearings — 1998-06-08

CHAIRPERSON: What are all those?

MR MINTY: The first one, the NPT is the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the CWC is the chemical weapon convention and the BTWC is the biological and toxin weapons convention.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much.

MR MINTY: South Africa Chair is also a signatory to the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty often described as the CTBT and is an active member of the conference on disarmament in Geneva. South Africa is the designated permanent member for Africa of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA in Vienna. South Africa has been participating actively in the preparatory commission for the prohibition of chemical weapons and our ambassador in Geneva played a leading role in the preparatory commission of the comprehensive test ban treaty organisation. We are regarded as one of the leading participants in the negotiations of the BTWC, the Biological Toxin Weapons Convention ad hoc group mandated to establish an effective verification protocol for the convention.
 I should perhaps point out that the strictest convention that we have with regard to weapons of mass destruction is really the Chemical Weapon Convention. The nuclear non-proliferation treaty has not outlawed nuclear weapons and the biological and toxin weapon convention also does not have proper procedures for verification.
 In addition Sir, South Africa is also a member of the nuclear suppliers group and the Sanger Committee which deals with nuclear matters. As well as the Missile Technology Control Regime. In all these and other groupings and structures democratic South Africa plays a major role in efforts to make our world a safer place and our full compliance with our international obligations not to proliferate have never been brought into question. Add to this the central role played by South Africa in chairing the Oslo negotiations which resulted in the adoption of the international treaty to ban anti-personal land mines and it is then possible to acknowledge how seriously and successfully we are discharging our responsibilities to promote global disarmament and non-proliferation. 
 South Africa's reputation has not been built on rhetoric or general statements about good intentions but on concrete achievements involving highly complex technical and painstaking negotiations through which we have demonstrated not only our commitment but also our capability to make a solid contribution to promote international peace and security.
 Chair all these achievements and our future role in global negotiations can be undermined if the international community is to perceive us as not acting with the responsibility in a matter as grave as risking the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In asking therefore for an in camera process the Council is not in any way preventing the TRC from obtaining all the evidence and conducting a thorough investigation but simply requesting that precaution is taken not to risk proliferation in breach of our national policy and legislation and our solemn international obligations. Thank you Chairperson.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you very much. Any preliminary questions from yourselves? No? Thank you very much Abdul. There was a suggestion that maybe you might let some 10 the copies of your "dinges" be made available.

MR HAYSOM: Yes in fact we can take steps now to have them (...indistinct)

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. Advocate Gumbi? Obviously all three of you, your submissions I did not ask you because Professor Haysom you did not look like you had a typed script.

MR HAYSOM: No Mr Chairman I did not have a typed script. Both of us were really asked to assist in this matter over the weekend and we have not been able to (...indistinct)

CHAIRPERSON: Yes so I was not discriminating against you. Advocate?